In My Veins
by Spectre Skillen
Summary: When Autumn Woods moves to live with her Aunt and Uncle after the tragic death of her parents, chaos comes to the CIA. Life and love is at stake as a new force endangers not just the CIA. Not just the US. But the entire world. And the only people who can stop it, is the people in the middle of. I DO NOT OWN COVERT AFFAIRS. NO COPY RIGHT INFRINGMENT INTENDED.
1. Chapter 1: BAGGAGE

**_Chapter 1: _**BAGGAGE

**_Autumn POV_**

I sit silently staring at the wall in front of me. I hadn't bothered to sit on the sofa pushed against the back wall. Instead I had just sat down with my back against the wall on the floor, the coolness soothing me.

The room was small, with a sofa pushed against the back wall and a coffee table in the centre. There was a few magazines lying on it but they were all nearly five years old. The far corner was full of old, battered toys and my belongings. I had somehow managed to fit most of them into two large-ish boxes, a guitar case, a backpack and a big suitcase, leaving the rest behind in London. I had unwillingly left my beloved keyboard and cello there too, having been told they were too big to bring and would have to be shipped here separately.

I carry on staring at the wall, every so often sipping my bottle of water. I didn't want to be here. My parents had died just over two weeks ago and last week I had found out that I had to move thousands of miles away from the place I had been living in for nearly three years, to live with an aunt and uncle I had never met before. I had never heard of them till now, let alone knowing who they were or what they did.

Suddenly the door on my left hand side opens and I stand. My social worker walks in followed by a man and a woman, the man looking to be in his late forties and the woman her late thirties. They were smartly dressed, the woman being in a navy dress and the man in a grey suit. Both look physically fit, the man being muscular and the woman slim and athletic. I take in that I look extremely like the woman, nearly exactly the same actually, aside from me having slightly darker blonde hair and being a few inches shorter in height.

"Sorry for the wait, Autumn. We were just finishing up the paperwork," My social worker says, referring to me being here for nearly twenty minutes. "This is Arthur and Joan Campbell. They'll be looking after you from now on."

"It's nice to finally meet you Autumn," Joan says, shaking my hand. From her words, she knew about me before I even knew she existed.

"Likewise," I reply, my thick English accent coming through. I really need to disguise that.

"Nice to meet you," Arthur says, shaking my hand.

"Autumn, I'll let them take you to their car and I'll call round to their house in about a week to make sure you settle in," My social worker says with a smile and then adds, "I really hope this works out for you, Autumn."

"Me too and thank you Sally," I say politely.

"You're very much welcome. Now I have to go, I have another visit in half an hour," Sally says.

"Thank you for your help Miss Ward. We'll see you next week," Arthur says shaking her hand.

"You're welcome. Goodbye Autumn."

And with that she left.

Arthur was the first to talk. "Shall we get moving?"

I give a small nod and pull the backpack onto my back and pick up one of the boxes. Arthur grabs the other box while Joan pulls up handle to the suitcase and grabs the guitar case gesturing to the door.

"Let's go," She smiled.

I follow them out of the social services' office and to an expensive looking black SUV. We put everything in the boot, where it all just about fitted. I look over at Joan and Arthur and give them a quick look up and down. From what I've seen from them so far they look to be somewhat well off and from the way they carry themselves they look confident and that they have some form of power where they work. Executives maybe? Politicians?

I shake both ideas out of my head. I would have heard of them if they were politicians and, for some reason, they don't seem like the type of people to be executives. They seemed to have a different power about them. One I couldn't quite put my finger on.

Arthur closes the boot and gestures to the car. I climb into the back seat quickly after they got into the front. We sit in awkward silence for at least fifteen minutes until Joan breaks the silence.

"So Autumn, how was your flight?" She asks politely.

"It was alright. A bit long but okay, I guess," I reply.

Joan gives a slight nod before we all fall into another awkward silence. I stare out the window taking in my new surroundings. My new surroundings being Washington D.C. This time it's Arthur who tries to break the silence.

"So you're starting senior year this year. Are you excited? You've a lot of good things ahead of you. Prom, graduation..." Arthur began but my attention drifted slightly. I tuned back in as he finished talking.

"It's quite impressive that you're only fifteen too. A child genius isn't something you come across every day," Joan says turning around in her seat to look at me.

I smile slightly before replying. "I skipped a few years in school. I'm about two or three ahead of what I should be at. I already had my GCSE's when I was thirteen and I got my first set of A-Levels this year. I was home-schooled for a while when my… my parents and I moved to a country that I didn't speak the language and didn't learn enough of it to be put into a main stream school. The home-schooling put me ahead of my peers. So when I moved back to London, I already had the Key Stage Three curriculum completed," I explain cringing slightly at how I stuttered slightly when saying _my parents_. "I wouldn't go as far as calling me a child genius but thank you."

That made them chuckle a bit. Thankfully they don't comment on the stutter. "Smart and modest. I think we'll get along just fine," Arthur says.

Yet again we fall into another silence. It was still awkward but not as much as before.

We arrive about ten minutes later to a nice looking house. Nice looking is one way to describe it. Expensive is another. It was in a secluded area. Not so secluded it was in the back end of nowhere and you had trouble finding it but secluded in a way that it was in a nice neighbourhood and wouldn't need to worry about going out late at night.

I follow Joan and Arthur's lead and get out of the car. We take the same items as we did when we left the social services offices. I follow them up the rest of the driveway to the front door where Joan takes the key off of Arthur and opens it. She turns around to face me as she grabs the suitcase again.

"We've already got your room set up and made up the bed. We'll help you bring your stuff up and then let you get settled in. If you need anything, like help un-packing or just anything in general, just call us. If not, we'll call you when dinner is ready," Joan smiles.

They lead me up the stairs and down a hallway to the last door on the right. There are four doors in total, one I presume to be a bathroom and another Joan and Arthur's room. Maybe the forth is another bedroom or an office maybe? The hallway seems too long just to have four doors, so I also presume that the rooms are fairly big.

Joan opens the door and gestures inside. I walk in closely followed by the both of them and set the box I'm carrying to the side. Joan and Arthur do the same.

The room is a decent size, being slightly bigger than my old room back in London, with a single bed pushed against the back wall, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers beside the bed, a desk in the corner, a seven shelf bookcase and then a door at the foot of the bed. Despite the furniture the room still has a lot of space to move about in. It was simple and I liked it.

"Sorry about the fact it's only a single bed," Arthur says. "The other bedroom has a double but it doesn't have a wardrobe."

"Its fine," I smile. "I've always had a single bed no matter where I lived."

Joan nodded and then quickly began to explain a few things. She walked over to the door at the foot of the bed and opened it. "Here is your bathroom. Arthur and I have our own on-suite and then there's another bathroom opposite this room so we don't have to worry about overcrowding in the morning. It has the basic stuff, toilet, shower, sink and mirror."

She then walked over to the wardrobe and opened it. "Here's the mirror and if you need more space for clothes just ask and we'll find extra space for you."

"It's okay, that won't be needed," I say as politely as possible. "The wardrobe is actually bigger than the one I had in London."

Joan gives me a slight smile and nod and then heads back over to the door, where Arthur is standing. "Well that's pretty much it. We'll let you get unpacked and settled and then I'll come and get you when it's time for dinner which should be around sixish but if you need anything don't be afraid to ask. After that we'll give you a proper tour of the house."

I give a small smile and a thank you and they turn to leave. Arthur goes without saying another word but Joan sticks her head around the door and gives me a sad smile and quietly says, "I'm sorry for your loss Autumn. I really am. I hope we can get on and, I'm certain the offer also stands with Arthur, if you need to talk about anything I'm right here. And I mean anything."

I nod and manage to get out another thank you. My throat fells tight and I just about manage to keep it together long enough for her to say _see you at dinner _and leave.

As soon as Joan leaves a tidal wave of emotion hits me and guilt about what my aunt and uncle probably didn't know. I hold back tears as I sit down on the bed and put my head between my knees. I take a few shaky breaths before getting up and hauling the suitcase up onto the bed.

I miss my parents. There was no denying that. But the similarities between Joan and me... I couldn't ignore them. I looked more like her than I did to my actual mother and that scared me. The same went with Arthur. My father looked completely different to me, me having blue eyes and he had brown. His hair was dark brown while I was a blonde. Yet Arthur and I have incredibly similar eye colour.

I let out a sigh and push the thoughts out of my head. I can worry about that later. I tell myself to focus on the unpacking of my suitcase and for a while it works until the thought of what actually happened to my parents floats back into my head.

Well, 'floats' is too delicate a word. Dropped like a pile of bricks. That's more accurate.

I know more than I should about what happened to my parents. Well more than the police want me to know. Well 'police'. I know fine rightly the people who talked to me were not the police. They were too well dressed for normal cops.

And that brings me back to knowing more than I should. The 'police' don't know that I found out my parents didn't die in a typical car accident. Cars that have been in car accidents don't have bullet holes in the bonnet or wind shield. That's not an accident. That's deliberate.

I take a deep breath as I hang up one of my hoodies in the wardrobe. Did Joan and Arthur know what actually happened? And if they didn't, should I tell them?

I shake my head. No. Maybe when you get to know them better just not now. Not directly after I just moved in with them. One of them just lost a sister and they don't want that kind of baggage from a person.

Especially not from a fifteen year old.

I sit back down on the bed and sigh. It was going to be interesting living here. I don't know why but it was.

I could feel it in my gut.


	2. Chapter 2: SIMILARITIES

**_Chapter 2: _**SIMILARITIES

**_Joan's POV_**

I sit quietly in Arthur's arms in the living room watching some crime show. It wasn't long after dinner and Autumn had politely excused herself to finish un-packing when she had helped us clear up. Dinner had gone as well as it could have for Autumn just having moved in. We barely spoke during the meal and she was polite the whole way through. Arthur and I had to mind what we said as we are still yet to read her in on our jobs.

The only thing I'm worried about is Autumn's reaction.

I mean it has been just over two weeks since her entire life was brought to ruins. I have no idea how she is going to react or if that piece of information will push her over the edge. She's a grieving teenager and I don't know how's she's coping with that either.

And that brings us to her parents. Arthur and I agreed not to say anything to her about who they really were or how they actually died. Or what their _real _relationship was to her. It would tear her apart. That much I am sure of.

I let out a long sigh and curl up next to Arthur more, resting my head on his chest. Things between us had settled down a bit more and we were finally acting more like we were in love than at war with each other. But then my sister died and since then we have slowly started to drift apart again. Not by his doing though. This time by mine. I don't want him to see me in pain. I don't want him to see me vulnerable.

"What's wrong?" He asks softly, kissing the top of my head

"Just thinking about Liz," I reply quietly. I know if I lie, Arthur will see right through it. He reads me better than anyone else. Sometimes it's a blessing. Sometimes it's a curse.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I give a slight nod and look up at him.

"I can't get the thought out of my head that I could have done more to protect her. I mean, before she died, the last time I saw her was just over fourteen years ago," I mumble dropping my head back down. "Maybe if I had been more connected with her this could have been prevented. We were so close growing up."

"Joan, sweetheart, look at me please."

I lift my head and look him in the eyes. Eyes that were full of love and concern.

"I know everything with Elizabeth has hit you hard. And I know that you two didn't talk a lot over the past fourteen years but you have to believe this Joan or it will tear you apart. They dying was not your fault. It was a risk of the way they lived," Arthur says, gently playing with my hair.

"Yeah and now they are just two stars on a wall," I say sharper than intended.

"I know, I know. But you, more so than anyone else, know how long the declassification of names can take."

I nod against his chest and then close my eyes as I reveal the other subject that's been annoying me. "Then there's Autumn."

"Yeah, I've been thinking about her too," Arthur sighs.

"I understand that we can't tell her about her parents. I mean that would hurt her way too much and from what I've seen already she's holding enough in as it is. It's just, I'm so concerned about how she's going to take it when we read her in," I say.

"We can't be sure how she is going to take it. Everyone takes being read in differently. If she was older I don't think we would have had to but the fact that Autumn's fifteen we have to. With our work schedules we can't leave her alone in the house for that long by herself. Our hours are unpredictable and it doesn't matter about her age, I think it's the right thing to do. She will realise that something is up sooner or later if we don't tell her," Arthur says quietly, still absentmindedly playing with my hair.

I nod, agreeing with him. Arthur and I had decided to bring Autumn to work with us for the next few weeks until it was September and she started school. If there was a meeting scheduled for both of us at the same time or something was in the works that she couldn't witness we had made arrangements to leave her with Auggie and if he wasn't free, Arthur's assistant.

"Talking about Autumn, she's been up there for a while. I'm going to go check on her," I say untangling myself from Arthur.

"Okay. Shout if you need anything," He says pulling me down slightly so he could kiss me lightly.

"Yeah, of course," I say pulling back.

I get up properly and make my way quickly up the stairs to see Autumn. I pause slightly in front of the door before knocking.

"Autumn," I say loudly enough that she could hear me through the door.

"Come in."

Her voice came through the door almost instantly and I open it slowly to see her standing by the bookcase. She had already filled three shelves full of books and showed no intent in stopping anytime soon as there is still a box by her feet.

"If I knew that you had so many books I would have got you another bookcase," I joke lightly.

Autumn laughed a bit before replying. "I think there's enough room. The other box is full of art supplies and sheet music.

I nod. "How's the unpacking going?"

"Good. I've unpacked all my clothes. I'm just in the process of putting all my books up. The last box shouldn't take too long. It's already sorted out. I just need to figure out where to put the contents."

I give another nod and take a proper look around the room from where I'm standing. Autumn has already put her laptop in the centre of the desk. A purple Dell. A book sat on the bedside table with a pair of glasses sitting on top of it. Everything seemed so neat and tidy. So organised.

"You're quite organised," I comment.

"Yeah, it's more of a habit than anything else. Due to what my parent's jobs were we moved around a lot. They were always on business trips or at meetings. I just got used to having all my belongings organised so I could pack them easily. My mum and dad weren't particularly organised themselves but they liked to be able to leave quickly," Autumn replied.

"Sounds like Liz," I smile.

A very brief, almost un-noticeable flash of pain crosses Autumn's features but it disappears quickly. She must be holding so much in. I restrain from sighing. Autumn is so much like me and she knows nothing about it. I wish I could help her. Help her open up but I need to gain her trust first and that'll take time.

I watch as she swallows slightly before speaking. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to and I'm sorry if the question makes you uncomfortable but, what side am I related to you on? I mean I only heard about Arthur and yourself after the accident," She asks.

I sigh slightly and hold back tears that I feel start to prick my eyes. "Elizabeth was my sister so Logan, your father, was my brother-in-law. That makes Arthur their brother-in-law. I'm not surprised you don't remember us. You were very young when we met you," I reply.

We fall into silence, Autumn fidgeting slightly with the bottom of her shirt. Looking at her now, I'm surprised she hasn't asked about our extreme likeness. We have the same face shape, our features are similar except hers look younger. Our eyes are the same shade of blue and we are both blonde aside from the fact that her hair was slightly darker. The only real differences between us being the way we dress, me dressing like I worked for the government and her like a typical fifteen-year-old (jeans, t-shirt, shirt and converse), our age and our height.

When I take her to the DPD people are going to notice and questions are going to arise. It was going to be awkward but that was the least of my worries. I can barely talk about Liz and from the looks of it Autumn's worse. And the fact that Autumn didn't know Arthur and I existed until after the accident was a big hindrance.

I glance around the room trying to find another conversation topic. My eyes fall on the guitar case.

"So how long have you been playing the guitar?" I ask. I really was interested. I want to get to know Autumn. To catch up on the past fifteen years of her life. The fifteen years I missed.

"About four years. I wanted to pick up an instrument that was slightly more portable. It's still bulky but it's lighter. I play other instruments but I just found this one easier to transport," She replies. I nod along and am surprised when she said played more.

"What other instruments do you play?"

"Cello and piano. I have my grade seven in cello and was about to take my grade eight exam before I had to move after… you know," She says, pausing slightly, fidgeting more with her shirt. "I just completed my grade seven piano about a month or so ago. I had to leave my keyboard and cello behind due to their size but my social worker said they can be shipped. If that's okay with you, that is?"

I stare at her speechless and impressed. Three instruments and two at that level!? I mean, I'm not surprised about piano. Piano runs through my family, although I haven't played for years and Liz hated it, we were both pretty good at it. But cello. I was not expecting that. I also take note on how she doesn't directly say car accident and avoids the subject completely. She must still be in denial.

I finally manage to get words out after a few seconds. "Of course it's okay. Arthur and I are happy to help you pursue any of your hobbies and interests. We can try and get you an examination place for your grade eight cello and lessons so you can get your grade eight piano, if you like?"

A look of confusion plays across Autumn's features and it takes her a few seconds to reply. "Are you sure? I mean exams and lessons are expensive and the cello isn't exactly a quiet instrument. I practise hours a day. I don't want to be a hindrance."

I try to keep the confusion off my face. Autumn almost sounds apprehensive about playing these instruments. But why? She sounds talented. I'll have to look further into that later but for now I can at least assure her Arthur and I getting her lessons and the grade eight cello exam is not a hindrance.

"Autumn this is now your home. Arthur and I will try and support you as much as we possibly can. If that means getting you the exams and the lessons, then so be it. You'll never be a hindrance to us. You are our niece," I say. I reluctantly say niece at the end though. It wasn't a flat out lie but it wasn't the truth. Far from it.

Shock mixes in with the confusion on her face and she swallows slightly before replying. "Thank you," She says.

"It's not a problem. Now do you want anything? A glass of water? Anything," I say.

"No thank you," She replies. "I was going to go to bed soon anyway. I know it's still quite early but I'm a bit jet lagged."

I glance at my watch to find it's only about eight o'clock. I quickly do the math in my head to find that it would be roughly one in the morning in London. I look back up at Autumn who looks exhausted. But not the type of tiredness you get from jetlag. The type from not sleeping at all. She mustn't be sleeping which isn't surprising. She's been through a lot in the past couple of weeks. I haven't been sleeping myself but from the looks of it I haven't got it as badly as her.

"Okay. Well I'll leave you to it. See you in the morning Autumn. Good night," I say smiling, opening her bedroom door.

"Goodnight," She says.

I turn round and just as I'm about to close the door her voice fills the room again.

"And Joan?"

"Yes Autumn?"

"Thank you."

I barely make it back down to Arthur before the tears start to fall. He looks up when I open the door and a look of concern crosses his face.

"Joan?" He questions.

At the sound of his voice I start to cry harder. He stands up and pulls me into his arms. I bury my face into his shirt and cry quietly into it. He says nothing but instead rubs calming circles on my back with one hand and strokes my hair with the other.

I don't know why this is all coming out now. I think it might be due to finally seeing Autumn after all these years or just seeing how similar the two of us are.

And that scares me.

From that conversation alone I was able to tell she was guarded and didn't like displaying emotion. She had grown up and I'd missed it. Arthur and I had missed it. Autumn seems so mature for fifteen. But it's the fact that she seems guarded that terrifies me.

What made her that way? Why would a fifteen year old need to be like that? Something happened when she was with Liz and Logan. Something that Arthur and I don't know about. Something that we both need to find out.

When I finally calm down enough, I tell all this to Arthur. He nods along sometimes cutting in to give advice, always having the right thing to say. And that's one of the reasons I love him.

Around ten thirty Arthur and I head to bed, both of us being tired from a hectic day at work. Tomorrows Saturday and for once we've taken the weekend off. Thinking about it, we'll be taking most weekends and holidays off from now on due to Autumn being here now.

After I get into my pyjamas, I walk quietly across the hall to check on Autumn. I open the door slowly and carefully so I don't wake her. When the door is open enough I poke my head through the gap. Even in darkness I can see her form under the blankets and the rough outline of her face. She looks peaceful. I smile slightly and close the door crossing the hall again and return to Arthur.

"How is she?" He asks as I climb into bed beside him.

"Asleep. She looks peaceful but from what I observed earlier she probably won't stay asleep. I think she's having sleeping problems," I say quietly as he wraps his arms around me. I relax a little.

"She'll be okay Joan. You of all people know that healing takes time. Just please give her some time, okay?"

I nod closing my eyes, my own exhaustion starting to take hold.

"Goodnight Arthur," I mumble.

"Night Joan," He says switching off the bed side lamp.


	3. CONTEXT PLEASE READ

CONTEXT (Forgot to post this with Chapter one, sorry)

The first part of the story will be based inbetween Season 3 and 4. Arthur and Joan are on good terms and Annie and Auggie are together. However the events surronding Henry Wilcox do not happen until Autumn is in college. The events of Season 4 and 5 will still happen but during the college period. Although there is some differences as this is AU. Annie and Auggie stay together. Auggie does not leave. Those are the only differences from the season


	4. Chapter 3: CONNECTIONS

**_Chapter 3: _**CONNECTIONS

**_Autumn's POV_**

I wake up around 7:45 feeling more exhausted than I had when I went to sleep. No matter how tired I was or how many hours sleep I had got I still seemed to wake up overly early. I restrain myself from groaning, unsure of how heavily Arthur and Joan slept and swing my legs over the side of the bed as quietly as I can.

I barely got three and a half hours sleep. I had gone to bed around nine thirty after I had finished un-packing and showered. I fell asleep almost instantly and even managed to fool myself into thinking that I was going to get a full night's sleep. I was wrong. Most definitely wrong.

I woke up forty-five minutes later holding back a scream from yet another nightmare. My sleep had been riddled with them since I found out that my parents hadn't actually died in an accident. The nightmares usually involved the people who killed my parents, being faceless beings, finding me and doing what they did to them to me.

I'd become good at waking up gasping or clutching the bed sheets. Last night was particularly bad and I'm surprised I didn't actually scream.

When I heard Joan and Arthur start to get ready for bed I pretended to sleep in case they came in to check on me. Joan did. I was able to tell by her foots steps. She's lighter on her feet than Arthur. Thankfully Joan had bought it and had left me for yet another fitful night of sleep never staying asleep longer than half an hour and when I was awake, I was lying there tossing and turning.

And now here I was. Sitting on the edge of my new bed, in my new bedroom, in my new home at 7:45 in the morning. The only thing that wasn't new right now was the fact I was up at the crack of dawn.

I get up as quietly as possible and open the door slightly to try and hear if anyone is up. I can hear, who I presume is, Arthur snoring slightly. I hear nothing else. Nobody else is up and I have no idea when they will be. I quietly close the door again and walk over to the wardrobe and pull out a pair of jeans. I set them on the bed and then as quietly as possible go over to the chest of drawers and take out fresh underwear and a polo shirt that has my old school's badge on it.

I never did any sport at my old school but I did a lot of performing arts. They often gave us polo-shirts to keep for rehearsals. It was navy with the school insignia on a pocket on the left breast and then had _A. Woods _in fancy lettering on the right.

I quickly get washed, dressed and brush my hair, yet again being as quiet as possible. I check my phone and see that it's only 7:55. I sigh, sitting back down on the bed and swinging my legs up. I push myself into the corner were two walls meet and get comfortable. I grab the book I was reading off the bedside table along with my reading glasses and hope that Arthur and Joan got up soon but for now I would just have to focus on _If I Stay_.

I start to hear movement at 8:45. It's not a lot but it's enough to say that Arthur and Joan are awake. Quiet talking. The creaking of the bed as someone got up. The opening of a door. A wardrobe opening.

I sit there quietly debating whether or not to get up but the decision is made for me when I hear a knock on the door.

"Autumn, are you awake yet?" Joan's voice came through the door.

"Yeah, come in," I answer.

Joan opens the door and steps in quietly. Her attire is completely different from yesterday. Instead of a dress it's a pair of blue jeans, black ballet flats and a black 'Penn State' (which I think is an university but I can't be sure) t-shirt.

"You're up early," She says. "How long have you been up for?"

"Since about eight fifteen," I lie taking off my glasses. I didn't need her to know it was actually 7:45. That's too early and would raise questions. Hopefully she'll buy into it. "Early riser I suppose."

Joan nods and I feel her study me. The way she did last night. I hope desperately that my features don't show how tired I am. They probably do but I hope she doesn't notice but for some reason I have a funny feeling that there's not going to be much I can hide from her. I don't know why, there just is.

"So, what are you reading?" Joan says obviously trying to make conversation, just like last night again.

"Uh, _If I stay_. It's about a seventeen year old cellist who ends up in a coma after a car accident that her close family didn't survive. She can see everything that's going on in the hospital and around her and hear everything even herself in the coma. But as the story progresses she finds out that she has to make the choice whether to wake up and go back to her boyfriend, best friend and the rest of her family or to let go and go to the family that died in the accident," I reply.

"She's in a coma the whole way through the book?" Joan asks obviously not convinced.

"Yeah but it gives important parts of her past in bits and pieces the whole way through. Like her first date, when her brother was born, her Julliard audition."

Joan nods slightly. "Any good?"

I give a slight nod and a 'yeah it is'.

We fall into an awkward silence and I sit fiddling with the bottom of my polo-shirt. It's a nervous habit. I do it a lot before shows, auditions or in uncomfortable situations. It's not a bad habit but it's my tell to say when I'm nervous which is annoying at times.

Joan clears her throat slightly before speaking again."Arthur's still getting ready but I was wondering if you would like to help with breakfast?"

"Uh, sure. Just let me put some shoes on," I say politely, surprised at the request.

Joan smiles and I quickly get my black converse from the bottom of the wardrobe.

Breakfast was awkward to say the least. Like dinner the conversation was stilted. It was like Joan and Arthur were being careful about what they were saying around me. They wouldn't talk about themselves and they haven't even mentioned what they did for a living. All I could tell is that it's well paid.

I help clean up after breakfast and had the intention to go upstairs after but Joan had other ideas.

"Autumn would you mind going into the living room? Arthur and I have something we need to discuss with you," She says drying her hands on a tea towel.

"Of course," I say.

I walk into the living room and quietly sit down on the edge of the love seat closely followed by Joan. Arthur had already sat down by the time I had come in and Joan sits down beside him in the space next to him on the sofa.

"Now Autumn, did your parents tell you anything about us or what we did?" Arthur asks.

"No. I didn't even know you two existed until my social worker told me I had to move here," I reply.

"Okay, then we have to get you to promise us something. Something that is very important that you obey not just for our safety but for yours too," Arthur continues.

"Uh okay," I nod, confused.

"We need you to promise us that what we are about to tell you stays in this room. That it stays a secret unless we tell you that the person you are talking to knows about it. You mustn't talk to anyone about it but us. Can you promise that Autumn?" Joan says in a stern but soft tone.

I nod, starting to feel scared. "I promise."

Arthur and Joan exchange a quick look before continuing. "Joan and I don't have average everyday jobs. Far from it. We work for the Central Intelligence Agency."

I stare at them in confusion and try to get words out. My head is reeling with questions and it takes a few seconds to get words out.

"As in the CIA? That Central Intelligence Agency? The one with the spies? And the danger? As in the Jack Ryan, Sydney Bristow, Jason Bourne Central Intelligence Agency?" I stutter out in complete confusion.

"I only got one of those references but yes, that Central Intelligence Agency," Joan says calmly but with a concerned tone.

I swallow slightly before continuing. "How… how did you manage to adopt me with those jobs? I mean working for the CIA must be dangerous. Don't social services do loads of background checks and stuff beforehand? I mean I'm used to having the people looking after me have jobs that cause them to be away a lot. My dad was CIO for UPS and my mum a freelance technology journalist but what if you guys were to die too?"

"Joan has an official cover. To the public she works for the World Bank. That's what social services would have found when they ran the background check. That she worked as Vice President of Mortgage Strategy for the World Bank," Arthur explains.

"Arthur on the other hand is a public figure of the CIA. So social services already know that he is the Director of Clandestine Services or DCS for short," Joan continues.

I stare at them for a moment before asking another question. "If social services knew about Arthur being in the CIA, why did they clear it? I mean, you seem like nice people but the CIA has to be dangerous on some level," I question.

"Arthur's role in the agency is mostly meetings with high ranking officials, paperwork, press conferences etcetera. His job is relatively safe," Joan replies gently. "Me on the other hand, I'm a department head. Most of my work is to do with making sure we have all the right clearance, liaising with other agencies, working with operatives and so on. I mostly work behind the scenes, in an office."

"We also haven't gone out into the field or done anything dangerous in years. You have no need to worry about losing us," Arthur says, obviously seeing, what I presume to be, the look of confusion mixed with concern on my face.

"Why are you telling me this?" I ask quietly.

Joan takes a deep breath before answering. "Autumn despite you being extremely mature for your age, you are only fifteen. Arthur and I both work very unpredictable hours. We have had to make arrangements for you to come to work with us until you get back to school. You will either be with Arthur or me in our offices or if we are doing something that you can't see with Auggie, my department's tech head, or with Arthur's assistant, Michael," Joan says.

I give a slight nod and stare at the ground as the room falls into silence. My head swims with questions. But one voice, one statement stands out from the rest. Do Arthur and Joan know about what happened to my parents? Do they know who did it? My head spins and a sudden wave of light-headedness washes over me.

I desperately push it back and quickly try to figure out if I should ask Joan and Arthur about my parents.

"Autumn, do you have any questions? I know this is a lot to take in. Can we do anything for you?" Arthur asks his voice full of concern.

I shake my head. I need to think. I need space. "Can I just have time to think? Please?" My voice sounds weaker than I want it to be and I wonder if they notice it too.

"That's fine, Autumn. Just call if you need anything," Joan says, softly.

I nod and mumble a thank you. I get up quickly and on shaky legs make my way up the stairs.

I barely make it to my room before the panic kicks in. I close the door quickly and slide down it into a sitting position. My breathing comes in gasps and it's not from what I just heard. It's the connections my brain has started to make from what I just heard.

Joan and Arthur might know about what happened to my parents. They might know who killed them. And if they did, why haven't they told me? Isn't that information I have a right to know? But then something dawns on me. _They are trying to protect me_.

That's a first. My parents were away so much I usually only saw them on weekends and that was if I was lucky.

Silent tears start to run down my face and I desperately try to wipe them away but have no prevail. I've barely been here for a day and my aunt and uncle have shown more concern towards me than I've felt in my lifetime.

The silent tears turn into quiet sobs. To say I was freaking out and confused was an understatement.


	5. Chapter 4: BREAK DOWN

**_Chapter 4: _**BREAK DOWN

**_Joan's POV_**

I stare at the doorframe in which Autumn had just left through in complete and utter shock. That had gone slightly better than expected. She hadn't asked questions we couldn't answer or completely freaked out. She was in shock though. There was no denying that. The colour had drained from her face almost instantly, she avoided eye contact and her voice was quiet and weak sounding.

Arthur's hand silently finds mine and he starts to rub calming circles with his thumb.

"We did the right thing Joan," Arthur says. "She'll come around soon. She just needs some time."

"I know," I say quietly.

We sit like that for a few minutes but I pull back when I hear barely audible crying coming from upstairs. I close my eyes and sigh slightly. I make a move to get up but I feel Arthur's hand grab the back of my t-shirt.

"I'm not stopping you from going up there. From the sounds of it she needs someone to comfort her. To hold her. Something she probably hasn't had over the past few weeks. Just don't push her too hard. She's been dealing with this alone. It might cause her to go into herself more than she already is," Arthur says softly.

"I know," I reply quietly. "She's so much like me. I just think I can help her because I'm similar."

Arthur nods, releasing my t-shirt and I make my way up stairs quickly but quietly. I walk up to Autumn's bedroom door and knock the door quietly. I hear rustling and the bathroom door opening.

"Autumn, sweetheart. Are you okay?" I say through the door.

"Yeah."

Her voice seems choked and weak and that's all the incentive I need. I open the door and look to the right. Autumn is standing at the sink with her back to me gripping the edge of the ceramic surface so tight her knuckles are white. She's shaking slightly, her head down but in the mirror I can see how pale she is and the silent tears rolling down her face.

"Autumn," I say quietly.

She lets out a small whimper and sits on the bathroom floor her back against the toilet. Just as she pulls her knees to her chest, I close the distance between us and sit down beside her, placing my hand on her shoulder. She lets out a small sob which quickly turns into her crying uncontrollably.

"Shhhh, it's okay. It's okay," I say as I pull her into my arms.

She cries harder and I start to feel my t-shirt become damp. But I don't mind. I don't mind one bit. I rub small circles on her back desperately trying to calm her down. She's in near hysterics. And it's killing me inside to see her like this. In so much pain. In so much sadness.

It takes a while for Autumn to calm down completely but by the time she does my t-shirt is soaked and she's shaking. I release her quietly and reach round behind us and grab the toilet roll from the holder. I pull some off and pass it to her and she starts to wipe her eyes and then her nose. I pull some off for myself also and wipe my t-shirt slightly but I know it's useless.

"I'm sorry. I'm usually in better control of my emotions," Autumn mumbles. She's avoiding eye contact, obviously embarrassed.

"Autumn, look at me please," I say gently. She raises her head and looks me in the eyes. Her eyes are bloodshot and there are pink rings around them.

"There is nothing wrong with crying. There is nothing wrong with showing how you feel. And from the looks of it that's been bottling up for a very long time," I continue. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She drops her eyes again and stares at the tissue in her hands. "It's just when my parents were alive they were always so distant. It was like they didn't care or they were disappointed. They didn't care about the cello, piano or guitar. They wanted me to be sporty not artistic or musical. I think the only thing they were proud of was my IQ. And even then, they didn't know what to do with a teenager with an IQ of one hundred and ninety six. A teenager that could out smart them," She says quietly. Tears were rolling down her cheeks again but they weren't as fast as before. She quickly wipes them away.

"Oh Autumn. Sweetheart, I didn't realise," I say quietly.

"Then I move in with you and Arthur and I've been here barely twenty-four hours and you seem to care about me more than my parents did. Be more interested in the stuff I'm good at. Concerned about my well-being. Willing to get me involved with the things I want to do. My parents always got the lessons but they never showed up to the shows. Never stopped to hear me play or sing. But you and Arthur seem to be genuinely interested and you barely know me. I'm not used to that and it's confusing me so much."

"Autumn, I'm so sorry that happened to you and I'm sorry for causing you to react this way. But things are going to be different here. Yes there will be rules to follow and so on but Arthur and I will support you in any way we can. We will go to your shows if work doesn't clash and even then it would have to be a national emergency to stop us from going. We will go to parent teacher interviews, help you with your homework and the stuff we're supposed to do. We are not going to try and replace Elizabeth and Logan but we are going to try and look after you the best we possibly can," I say as gently as possible.

She nods slightly and then blushes slightly. "Sorry about your t-shirt."

"It's okay, it can be washed," I smile. "Now do you want to clean yourself up while I change my t-shirt?"

Autumn nods slightly and gets up from the bathroom floor. She offers me her hand to help me up and I gladly take it. We'd been sitting there for a while and my right leg had gone to sleep. I shake it out slightly before patting Autumn on the shoulder slightly and heading across the hall to Arthur and I's bedroom. I take a quick glance at my watch as I walk over to my wardrobe and get a shock to find it's nearly 11:30. I'd been with Autumn for nearly an hour. I sigh slightly as I take out a navy t-shirt to change into from the wardrobe.

Despite Autumn opening up, she was still hiding something. Something that was eating her up inside. The breakdown she just had wouldn't have been that big if there wasn't something else.

I have to figure out what.

Before she breaks down completely.


	6. Chapter 5: AUGGIE

**_Author's note:_** Hi Everyone! I just want to say thank you for reading and for all of the reviews. I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far and I hope you carry on enjoying it. :)

_**Context (Sorry, there's more of it):**_ As the story starts to progress you'll start to see there is quite a lot of jumps. Autumn's high school experience is sort of a prologue. The story will make quite large time jumps until Autumn is out of college/university. Also, if you were curious about the title, I got the main idea from the song 'In My Viens' by Andrew Belle. Its not important to the plotline as the title does link into plot points but it is a great song if you want to listen to it and later on I hope you can link it to the plotline. :) Anyway, that's enough of that. Here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy!

**_Chapter 5: _**AUGGIE

**_Autumn's POV_**

I wake up at the blaring sound of my alarm clock and restrain from groaning. It was 6:30 on a Monday morning and I was just abruptly awakened from another night of fitful sleep. Despite me being an early riser I still classed this as stupid o'clock in the morning. I have no idea why Joan wanted me up at this time. I was only going to Langley for the first time not the White House. I was nervous. There was no denying that but I just thought a big fuss was being made over nothing.

I hit my phone to shut it up and get out of bed and start getting my stuff ready for a quick shower. I hear Joan and Arthur bickering across the hall. Arthur grumbling about it being too early and Joan shooting back remarks about how long it takes him to get ready. I then hear who I presume to be Joan walking across the hall.

"Autumn you up?" She asks knocking the door.

"Yeah," I call back as she opens the door.

"Remember we have to be out of here for eight, okay?"

I nod and with that she closes the door. I quickly step into the bathroom with my shower stuff and get showered as quickly as I can. I'm out in ten minutes and I quickly get dressed into the clothes Joan chose from my wardrobe. The outfit consists of a pair of black skinny jeans, a white vest top, a navy shirt and my black brogues. She had basically picked out some of the smartest looking items of clothing I had and put them into an outfit. Again with making a big fuss over nothing.

Around 7:10 Joan knocks on the door again.

"Autumn are you decent?" She calls through the door.

"Yeah."

Joan walks in dressed in purple sheath dress similar to the one she was wearing on Friday and a pair of four inch black heels. She looks professional, strong and in power. Next to her I look like a kid playing dress up. I suddenly feel less confident going to Langley than I had when I woke up.

"Good, you're dressed. It's time for breakfast," She smiles.

I nod and follow her downstairs.

As breakfast goes into full swing I realise why Joan wanted us all up early. It was chaos to say the least. Between us all bumping into each and Arthur burning things by accident on the stove, things didn't go smoothly. And for the first time since I arrived on Friday, I properly feel like a hindrance to them. If I wasn't here, their morning would be going so much smoother. I wouldn't be getting in the way.

It took us nearly half an hour to finish up, leaving us with twenty minutes to leave. While Joan and Arthur gather up their things for work, I double check the bag I had packed the night before. Joan had instructed me not to bring my laptop as no personal computers were allowed into Langley, not even from employees. Joan told me to bring things to keep myself amused. So I did just that. I packed two books, my sketch pad and pencil case. I also had my usual stuff with me, phone, headphones, purse, glasses and so on.

We left around 7:55 after Joan had checked my bag to make sure I was allowed to bring everything contained in it into Langley. The journey took about half an hour and we sat in silence for the majority off it.

After my breakdown on Saturday, Joan and Arthur have been watching me like hawks. They know there are things I'm not telling them. Well Joan at least does and she's probably told Arthur. And I want to tell them what I know. I really sincerely do. But I'm scared, and I have no idea why.

Sunday wasn't too bad. I helped Joan with the shopping while Arthur ran other errands in the morning. They left me to my own devices in the afternoon which I spent the majority of sitting in my room playing my guitar quietly to myself, reading, drawing or on my laptop.

Arthur pulls up to the security checkpoint at Langley and rolls his window down. "Arthur and Joan Campbell plus visitor," Arthur says to the security guard.

"Name of the visitor," The guard asks.

"Autumn Woods. She's our niece. Arrangements have been made for her to come into Langley for the next few weeks."

I'd been paying so much attention to what Arthur was doing that I didn't notice another guard walk round to the side of the car I was sitting on and tap the window making me jump.

"Miss, can you step outside the vehicle for a moment please?" He asks.

I shot Joan a confused and scared look as she turns round to face me. "Its fine, Autumn. They just need to pat you down. It's standard protocol," She says reassuringly.

I give a slight nod and step out of the car. The guard instructs me to raise my arms and I quietly oblige. I try my best not to flinch away as he pats me down thoroughly but I still tense up. I don't like being touched. There was no reason behind it. I just didn't.

Although I am tempted to make a sarcastic remark on what I could hide. I mean I'm wearing clothes that are quite slim fitting. I'm also fifteen for goodness sake.

"Clear," He says, as he finishes searching me.

I silently get back into the car and put my seat belt back on. The other guard waves us through and Arthur carried on to the car park. Joan turns to look at me as he finds a space.

"Sorry about that. Security is quite tight as you would expect," She smiles, "There will be a few more protocols you'll have to pass through before you're granted access to the building but nothing violating. A search here, a few questions there. Okay?"

"Okay," I say quietly as Arthur parks the car.

We get out silently and I start to ready myself for the amount of security checks I was about to face.

Thirty minutes later I was out of security. They asked me questions on my nationality and when I said American even though I had an English accent I had to explain how I was born in Virginia. That then brought on tidal waves of more questions on previous residences and countries I have visited. That alone took ten minutes as there was a lot. Actually a lot was an understatement.

They then run a quick background check and double checked my identification (which was my passport). Once that was finished they took a passport size photo and created a visitor pass for me to use.

I walk out of the security area to Joan who was standing waiting patiently for me. I was to stay with her till 11:30 and then go and stay with someone she called Auggie until she was out of meetings. The same applied for when she was on the phone and talking about classified Intel I couldn't hear.

"That took longer than expected. Sorry about that," Joan says.

"It's probably due to the amount of countries I've lived in or been to. They asked a lot of questions about that," I reply.

Joan nods and gestures for me to follow her. I oblige quietly and follow her through a couple of large corridors and a few minutes later we arrive at our destination.

"Welcome to the DPD," Joan says as she pushes open a glass door.

We walk into a spacious area with rows of desks with computers around them. People rushed about carrying files, talking on phones, typing at computers and so on. To the left was a raised area with several screens and what looked to be an analysis area. To the right was another raised area which looked to be a tech ops area and straight in front was a large office overlooking it all. The space was open and airy and full of windows.

Joan gestures for me to follow her and I do so with question. She leads me to the large office overlooking everything and as soon as she's inside gestures for me to sit on the sofa. I sit down awkwardly as she takes her place behind her desk.

It was going to be a long day. I just knew it.

By the time 11:30 came about I was fighting extreme boredom. I had finished If I Stay and had moved on to The Fault in Our Stars. That was around 10:30. So I alternated between drawing, playing games on my phone and reading.

When 11:30 comes around I'd been drawing for about ten minutes and was taken out of the trance I usually go into while drawing by the sound of Joan's voice.

"Autumn, it's eleven thirty. It's time to introduce you to Auggie," Joan says getting up from behind her desk.

I nod and put my sketch book back into my bag. I get up and follow Joan a short distance to another office, this one being in the raised area to the right. The room is large, with a large desk. The room is filled with computer equipment and other gadgets. At the desk sits a man wearing extremely expensive looking headphones. I presume he's Auggie but he's not what he's I expected. He's muscular and seemingly tall from the look of his frame. He's got unruly brown hair and brown eyes but there is something different about them. He looks up and smiles.

"Hi Joan," He says. "I'll get those codes to you by twelve-thirty. I'm nearly finished."

"Don't worry about that Auggie," Joan replies with a smile. "I'm not here about that at the moment."

Auggie then sniffs the air slightly as if he notices something for the first time. "Have you changed your shampoo? I can smell coconut."

I look at him confused and then turn slightly to Joan. "How does he know what shampoo I use?" I ask.

Auggie smiles slightly before answering. "Call it my sixth sense. Well, fifth," He says waving a hand across his eyes. "Sorry, Joan I forgot I was keeping an eye on your niece today."

For the first time I notice his eyes don't quite meet mine or Joan's and land on our foreheads or slightly above. He's blind. I don't mean to be stereotypical or judgemental but how can a blind guy work for the CIA? I don't ask though. That would be rude.

Joan chuckles slightly at his comment before replying. "Auggie this is Autumn Woods, my niece. Autumn this is August Anderson the head of tech ops. We all call him Auggie," Joan says.

I cringe slightly at my full name. It's so cheesy. I mean I like the name Autumn and the second name Woods but they just clash. I mean I wasn't even born in autumn. But my name against Auggie's isn't too bad next to others. His name is unique too but in no way cheesy.

"Nice to meet you Autumn," He says, holding out his hand in my general direction.

"You too," I reply.

"Right, I'll leave you here with Auggie. I'll be back in a few hours," Joan says patting me lightly on the shoulder.

I nod and she leaves me standing with Auggie. He sits back down at his desk and then gestures behind him to a seat in front of an empty area at the corner of the desk.

"You can sit there until Joan comes back. I have work to do but if you need anything just ask. The main reason you were sent to me is because I can work without a screen for obvious reasons," He says sincerely.

I nod and then remember he can't see the gesture. "Thank you," I say, sitting down gingerly.

He smirks at me and I get confused slightly to what he finds funny. "You're not used to the whole CIA thing yet are you?"

"Am I really that easy to read?" I ask.

"Not really, it's just a reasonable guess. I mean it is a lot to take in," Auggie says.

"Yeah it is. I mean I went from my father being a CIO and my mother a Freelance Technology Journalist to my aunt and uncle being higher ups in the CIA," I reply.

"You'll get used to it. My brother did eventually," He smiles. He then turns around and carries on with his work. I pull out my sketchbook and carry on sketching the nature scene I was working on.

Auggie seemed nice enough. He didn't really treat me like a fifteen year old. Just a person. He was also perceptive enough to pick up on something Joan and Arthur hadn't. And I was glad. At least one person had managed to.


	7. Chapter 6: HOPE YOU FOUND IT NOW

**_Author's Note:_** Hi Everyone, just a quick little thing. The song from this chapter is 'I Hope You Found It Now' by Jason Walker. Yet again, it is a great song that I highly recommend. Yet again thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

**_Chapter 6:_** HOPE YOU FOUND IT NOW

**_Joan's POV_**

I watch Autumn in the rear view mirror as I navigate the streets of Washington. Arthur is in the passenger seat talking about an op he's needs my department on. He's not concerned about Autumn hearing us. She has her headphones in and it's at a volume I can hear vague sounds from.

Every so often I see her head drop slightly and then jerk up suddenly. It's only 7:30. I know fine rightly she isn't sleeping and she's exhausted. We travel like this for ten minutes and I finally give in.

"Autumn," I say reaching round and tapping her leg. She takes out her headphones and gives me her full attention.

"Yeah?"

"It's okay if you want to sleep in the car. It is quite a long journey," I say. I wasn't expecting fear to flood her expression in response.

"It's fine. I can wait until its bed time," She says politely.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

I give a slight nod knowing I'm not going to win this argument. Autumn's tired but she's also stubborn. Both of which are like me.

We finish dinner around 8:30. Autumn had managed to get through the rest of the car journey without nearly dozing off once. She was determined, I'll give her that.

We were sitting in the living room watching Rizzoli and Isles in silence. I was beside Arthur on the sofa, my head resting on his shoulder and Autumn was in the armchair in the corner. She had her legs pulled close to her, her arms wrapped around them and her chin rested on her knees. She took up as little space as possible.

Every so often I would see her move her fingers as if she was plucking guitar strings. It was a sub conscious thing as I notice she doesn't realise she's doing it.

"What song are you playing?" I ask. Arthur and Autumn give me a confused look.

"What do you mean?" Autumn asks.

"You keep moving your fingers as if you're plucking the strings of a guitar. I was just curious to know what you were playing," I reply.

She blushes slightly before replying. "Hope You Found It Now by Jason Walker. I have the habit of moving my fingers in a plucking pattern when I was playing the song recently."

I nod and then realise something. I've never heard her play before. "Do you want to show us the song?"

"You… you want to hear me play?" Autumn stutters, sounding surprised.

"Of course. We'd love to. We also want to hear you play cello and piano when they arrive," Arthur says.

"Do you want me to bring the guitar downstairs or do you want to come up?" She asks politely.

"We'll come up," I say, switching off the TV, Rizzoli and Isles now forgotten.

Autumn nodded and follow us upstairs to her bedroom. The room was still just as organised and tidy as it was when she unpacked and I have a feeling it would remain that way for as long as she lived here. The only messy area was the desk which was covered in drawings but even then they were in neat piles her laptop to the side of it all.

I wander over to them and have a look through them. The drawings are all done in pencil, shaded perfectly to show shadow, reflection and life. They range from landmarks, landscapes, animals and people. There are a few of me and Arthur and even one of Auggie. The immense amount of detail in each picture was astonishing. Autumn had drawn every line, every shadow perfectly.

"Autumn these are amazing," I say, looking up at her.

She looks up from her guitar which she was checking the tuning of and blushes reminding me once more how unused to compliments she was.

"Thank you," She mumbles.

Arthur comes up behind me and also looks at the drawings and from his face I can tell he's also impressed. "Autumn these are beautiful. So detailed and observant. What's your inspiration?" He asks.

"I draw what I see. An example would be that when I lived in Germany with my parents, there was this forest in direct view of my window. On one particular winter's day I liked the way the snow looked on the tress so I drew it," She replies. "I draw people I meet. Things I see that I think look cool. I just draw anything really."

Arthur and I both nod and we all fall into an awkward silence. I look at Autumn who had put a black device on the neck of the guitar and was fiddling with a plectrum.

"So are you ready?" I ask.

"Em, yes. Do you want to sit down or anything or...?" She replies.

"No its okay. Just play whenever you're ready."

Autumn gives a slight nod and then takes a deep breath. She puts her fingers on the neck of the guitar in a chord shape and strums quietly. She begins to sing.

"What was it that got broken inside of you  
>That sent you off searchin' down empty avenues?<br>Rooms cold and smoky that you stumbled through  
>Looking for a little truth somehow"<p>

She picks up the strumming pattern before continuing.

"I hope you found it now  
>I hope you found it now"<p>

She strums faster again and I can do nothing but get mesmerized by her voice and the words she is singing.

"And what was it inside you that love never satisfied?  
>The thin thread that held you, how did it come untied?<br>The grace you only ran from, the bridges that you burned  
>The peace of mind you learned to live without<p>

I hope you found it now yeah, yeah  
>I hope you found it now yeah<br>ooohhhh oooh  
>ooohhhh oooh"<p>

She slows down the strumming again and I can't get over just how much emotion is in her words. How much she is putting into that one song.

"The burdens that you carry and all of your mistakes  
>You're looking for a place to lay them down"<p>

I fight back tears. I've missed so much and she's so grown up so much. I wasn't there to protect her. She isn't just putting emotion into the words. She's feeling them. Autumn picks up the strumming pattern again.

"And I hope you found it now yeah  
>I hope you found it now yeah, yeah<br>I hope you found it now yeah, oh"

She starts to bring the song to an end and slows down the pattern to one strum per chord.

"I hope you found it now  
>I hope you found it now"<p>

She stops playing and all I can do is stare at her in shock. Her singing voice was not what I had expected. It was soft but loud and had the gentleness to send a baby off to sleep. She sang with emotion and made you feel that emotion. I was in shock that someone at her age could sing like that.

And I knew what to do.

I walked across the room and gave her the biggest hug I could and whispered, "I'm proud of you."

There had been tears after I had said that. A lot of tears. Even from Arthur, which is strange. He doesn't usually cry and barely ever in front of me. We're similar in that way yet in the past few days that standing has went out the window.

About an hour later we leave Autumn be and let her get ready for bed. SHe looked exhausted and to be honest so were we, so Arthur and I went straight to our rooms and started to get ready for bed. So here we were at ten o'clock in bed close to falling asleep.

And that's when we heard Autumn scream.


	8. Chapter 7: NIGHTMARE

**_Chapter 7:_** NIGHTMARE

**_Autumn's POV_**

The dream starts off like usual. I'm running. Running as fast as I can. It's raining and I find it hard to stay on my feet, the decking under them slippy. I'm beside the River Thames. Its dark, the only light coming from street lamps and the moon.

But something's different. Something's off.

I finally slip, landing on my side heavily. That's when I hear someone scream my name.

"Autumn! Come on sweetheart, you have to get up. Don't stop running!"

It was Joan. Wait… What!?

I turn around and realise what was different. Arthur and Joan where there. But so was the faceless gunman. The person trying to kill me. But this time Arthur and Joan were also in his sights. He was catching up and now in perfect range. He raised the gun and aimed straight for Joan. I try to get up to do something, but I slip again.

"Joan!" I yell. "Duck!"

But I was too late. The gunman fired. Joan fell forward lifeless

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

I wake up with a start, screaming. This time there is not stopping it from coming up. I'm shaking and completely soaked with sweat. I struggle to get my breathing under control but I can't. The images of the dream burned in my mind.

I jump slightly as Joan and Arthur burst through my bedroom door, both having extremely concerned looks on their faces.

"Autumn, sweetheart, are you okay?" Joan asks coming over to sit beside me on the bed.

I nod, even though I know fine rightly I'm not. "Sorry, I had a nightmare," I manage to get out. My voice is weak and I know they won't buy that I'm fine.

Silent tears run down my face and Joan obviously sees them. She's knows I'm not okay.

"What was the dream about?" She asks.

"I don't know," I lie.

She gives me a sceptical look but says nothing. Instead she pulls me into a hug. "It's okay," She whispers. "You're okay."

My silent tears turn to quiet sobs and it takes a while for me to calm down. To stop shaking. At one point Arthur comes over and awkwardly puts his hand on my back. Not long after I calm down. But it doesn't mean I feel okay. That I feel better. I feel scared. Scared of who my parents really where. Scared of the people that killed them. Scared that they would come for Joan, Arthur and me.

"Autumn, do you want to lie down and try to get back to sleep?" Joan asks quietly, stroking my hair.

I tense up slightly. I'm afraid to go back to sleep. To see the faceless figures again. To see Joan and Arthur die again. That was the worst dream yet and with my imagination, I didn't want to find out what else my brain could come up with.

"It's okay," Joan says. "I'll stay until you fall asleep."

I give a slight nod and Arthur pats me on the back and gets up and leaves. Joan stands up and brings over the desk chair and sits beside the bed. I lie down gingerly and roll over onto my side. Joan smoothes down the covers and silently plays with my hair, humming. I slowly start to relax and fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.

**_Joan's POV_**

I stay with Autumn for a while even when she's fallen asleep. Silent tears roll down my cheeks as I remember her pained and scared expression when Arthur and I walked in. She had looked at us funnily. Like she was scared of losing us. And that scared me.

I make my way quietly back into Arthur and I's bedroom being careful not to wake Autumn. Arthur was sitting on the edge of our bed quietly waiting for me. I sit down silently beside him and he wraps his arms around me. I rest my head against his chest.

We sit like that for a while, him waiting for me to talk. Arthur knowing what I needed. After a while I spoke up.

"At least we now know why she looks so tired. Why she's afraid to sleep," I mumble. "I just wish I could help her."

"You can Joan. All you have to do is be there for her. She's scared. She's grieving. She just wants to be able to trust someone. To rely on them. She's never had that before and it will take her a while to get use to it. Autumn will open up. You just have to be ready for when she does," Arthur says.

I look at Arthur with awe at how wise he is. He always has the right thing to say. I just wish we were always like this because when we are fighting nothing that's said is right. So I kiss him.

When we pull back he looks at me with a smile. "What was that for?"

"Just for being you."

He smiles again, kissing me on the head. "Always. Now let's go ready for bed."

With that we both lie down and fall into a peaceful sleep. Maybe things were going to be okay. Maybe we could actually help Autumn. And maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't find out what actually happened to Liz and Logan.


	9. Chapter 8: SENIOR YEAR

**_Author's note:_** Hi everyone! Just a quick note before the chapter. I apologize if I got the American school system wrong or the subject choices. I'm part of the UK school system so my school experience is way different to that of America. I've used the internet to try and figure out the subjects and so on and my own knowledge of what people have told me about the sytem. So I apologize if I got the subject number off for Autumn and if so I could always just put it down to the fact she's a genius :)

And speaking of UK school systems, my mocks are coming up, so I apologize in advance if updates are scarce. I have up to chapter 11 written and I'm in the process of writing chapter 12 so anything after that may come a bit slower due to me having to study for the mocks and eventually the real exams. Anyway, I've rattled on for too long now. Here's the chapter! Hope you enjoy!

**_Chapter 8: _**SENOIR YEAR

**_Autumn's POV_**

**_2 weeks later_**

I stand in front of my bedroom mirror fixing my hair into a ponytail. I was freaking out. Actually freaking out doesn't cover it. It was 6:45 on a Monday morning. It was my first day of school in Virginia. My first day as a senior. I could hear Joan and Arthur getting ready in the other room, unknowing of my little panic session.

I move over to my backpack checking it over again. Everything was there. File block, pencil case, ring-binder. glasses and so on. I jump slightly when I hear Joan knock on the door.

"Autumn, time for breakfast," She calls through the door.

"Coming," I say, opening the door.

I follow Joan and Arthur down stairs and quickly go through the breakfast routine. We'd finally managed to get a balance and get through breakfast without mishap.

Forty-five minutes later I was in Joan's car. Arthur and Joan were going to work separately today so Joan could drop me off to school. The school was half an hour away and from tomorrow onwards I was to get a bus. I had been given a key to get in after school if Joan and Arthur weren't home yet which was likely. But today Joan was going to pick me up after school.

We sit in silence for the majority of the journey. I spend most of it nervously tapping my leg or adjusting my schoolbag. After a while I feel Joan's hand on my wrist, signalling me to stop.

"Relax, Autumn," She says, quietly.

"Sorry, I'm just a bit nervous," I reply.

"It's okay to be nervous. It's your first day at a new school but everything will be fine."

I nod trying to agree with her. Everything didn't feel okay. I should be in London, starting Upper-sixth. Not Virginia, starting Senior year. But I reply with an 'okay'.

"You know, this school is known for its music programme. It's one of the best in the state. They have a fantastic orchestra and band, a brilliant strings group and several choirs. They're performing arts groups are known for their big shows and they have an award winning Glee club. I think you'll fit in fine there," Joan says, reassuringly. Obviously my 'okay' wasn't convincing enough.

Before she can say anything else, we arrive at the school. Joan stops the car and gives me what feels like the hundredth look over that morning.

"Are you sure that's what you want to wear today?" She asks. For the fifth time this morning.

I look down at my black skinny jeans, black college-style batman t-shirt, red and black checked shirt and red converse and reply with a "Yes."

She sighs and then gives in. _Finally_. "Let's go then. We need to get you registered at the front desk," She says.

And with that we are out of the car and heading towards the front entrance of the school. From the front, the school looks huge. I can already see a football pitch, Athletics pitch and several buildings. This causes my already high nerves to sky rocket. Joan and I make it to the front desk and are met with a bubbly woman dressed in a purple shirt, slacks and heels.

"Hello there, I'm Angela Rayes. How can I help you?" She asks politely with way too much enthusiasm for a Monday morning.

"Hello, my name is Joan Campbell. We spoke on the phone. I've enrolled my niece Autumn Woods to take her senior year here. I was instructed to come here to finish up the paperwork," Joan says politely.

The receptionist gives me a funny look probably because I don't look seventeen but doesn't say anything. She then turns to Joan. "Ah yes Mrs Campbell. Just let me get that paperwork for you," She says, her enthusiasm returning, she then turns around and starts looking through a filing cabinet.

"Let the stereotypes begin," I mumble.

With that comment, Joan gives me a glare. A glare that's says behave and don't even go there wrapped in one. It also contains a mixture of shock too. Before I can respond Ms Rayes turns around with a group of documents.

"Okay, this is us. Mrs Campbell there's just some forms I need you to sign and some details I need you to confirm. Can you confirm Autumn's date of birth please?"

"July fourth, 1999," Joan replies.

"That only makes her fifteen. Sold she not be going into Sophomore year?"

I bite lip so I don't retaliate. _So you can add. Good for you. At least you have some intelligence. _But I don't say that. I let Joan handle it.

"You see Autumn is a bit ahead for her age. She's already passed Sophomore and Junior year in a different school system," Joan explains.

"Okay that's fine then. All I need you to do now is sign here, here and here."

Joan complies and hands her the forms back.

"Now Autumn, this is your class schedule and locker number. At the bottom of the second page you'll find the locations of people you can talk to if you need help with anything. There is also a map of the premises on the third page," Ms. Rayes explains.

"Thank you," I say politely.

"Now there has been an arrangement for someone to help you navigate your classes today but he hasn't arrived yet."

With that a tall boy comes in through the front doors of the reception area. He looks slightly older than me but only by about a year. He has dark brown hair, almost black and chocolate brown eyes. He's dressed in black jeans, black converse, a dark blue t-shirt that says 'Never trust atoms, they make up everything' with a picture of a sad atom beneath it and a brown zip-up hoodie. He wore glasses and looked extremely cute in a nerdy boy kinda a way. He was slim but you could tell he worked out.

"Sorry, I'm late. Got stuck in traffic," He says with a smirk.

"Hunter the new girl just arrived. This is Autumn Woods, she's in your registration group and the majority of your other classes," Ms. Rayes says.

Hunter turns in my direction and closes the distance. He holds out his right hand and smiles. "Hunter Adams, nice to meet you Autumn."

Cute and polite.

"Nice to meet you too," I reply shaking his hand.

"Autumn that seems to be you sorted out," Joan says turning to me. "I'll see you at two-thirty, okay?"

"See you at two-thirty," I say.

Joan gives me a quick hug before turning and leaving.

"Now you two better get to registration, it's 8:20," Ms. Rayes says.

"Yes, Ms. Rayes," Hunter says sweetly.

And with that I leave with Hunter.

I follow Hunter through the numerous hallways to our registration class. The school is huge and i know I have an eidetic memory there is no way I'll remember all this in one day. At some point, I will get lost. And I will not ask a Senior or Junior for help. I know better than that. I'll end up in the art department trying to get to Social Studies.

"So what brings you to Rockbourne High School, home of the Wolves?" Hunter asks.

"I just moved here from London to live with my aunt and uncle after my parents died in a car accident," I say.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," Hunter says, apologetically.

"It's fine, you didn't know. At least you don't nearly cry every time they get mentioned."

"That bad, uh?"

"I suppose," I say quietly.

"So let's move on from _this_ topic. Because we all know this is an awkward topic and that's not very pleasant for either of us," Hunter says.

I smile slightly before replying. I like this guy. He's easy to talk to and more understanding than expected. And makes things funny without it being mean.

"Sure. So, what do you want to talk about?"

"Let's start with basic questions. How old are you? When's your birthday?" He asks.

"I'm fifteen and I was born on the fourth of July 1999," I reply.

"Fifteen? That's a bit young for a senior."

"I'm a child genius. I have an IQ of 196. So naturally I skipped a few years of school."

"Naturally," He says with a smile.

"And what about you? You don't exactly seem old enough to be a senior yourself," I ask.

"Good point. I am also fifteen but I turn sixteen on November twenty-first."

"So you're also a child genius, I take it?"

"Yes but not as big of one as you. I have an IQ of 182 and I'm only a year ahead of what I should be," He replies.

"It's still cool though. You are the first child genius I've ever met," I say.

"Likewise," He smirks, stopping outside a door. "This is us."


	10. Chapter 9: SHE HAS TO KNOW

**_Chapter 9:_** SHE HAS TO KNOW

**_Joan's POV_**

I pull into the CIA parking lot after dropping Autumn off at school. I hope she's okay. I mean I know she's different, there's no denying that and it's one of the things I love about her. But I need her to fit in as much as possible. American high school may be more brutal than what Autumn is used to.

Although, she does seem to be in safe hands with Hunter. Despite this I don't particularly feel comfortable leaving her with a boy. But that's probably just my maternal instincts kicking in.

I quickly make my way through security and up to the DPD. But what I walked into was not what I was expecting.

The DPD was in absolute chaos. People were running around with files in their arms and red lights were flashing everywhere. I only left the place in Auggie's command for just over an hour and a half. What could have happened in that period of time? I mean this didn't happen the last time I let him run the DPD.

I quickly make my way up to Auggie's office and find him hastily typing on his keyboard.

"Auggie, what is going on?" I ask.

"Ianto Seyal initiated contact thirty minutes ago," Auggie says, taking his headphones off.

"Wait, what!?" I exclaim. "Why didn't you call me?"

"Because I knew you'd be here soon. Arthur is already looped in," Auggie says.

"Good. Now how did he initiate contact?"

"He sent a video," Auggie says, tapping a few keys. "Bringing it up now..."

With that the large screen behind Auggie came to life. On the screen appeared a man in his late thirties. Black hair. Dangerous blue eyes. That's Seyal.

Anger courses through me at just the sight of him. He doesn't even have to start speaking. He killed them. Or at least ordered the hit. He killed Elizabeth and Logan.

"Hello, dear friends of the CIA," He says with a smile. If I could punch him I would. I would rip him to pieces. "It's Ianto here but you would hardly forgot that. Now consider this your warning. Stop looking for me. You've already seen what I can do. Two of your people are dead and I'll make it three if I have to. I know someone survived London. Her name is Autumn Woods and she already knows too much. Don't make me act. Because I will and you know I will her despite her age. For now Autumn is safe but if you keep looking, she won't be. This is your final warning. Do not make me regret my kindness."

The screen goes black and my anger turns quickly to fear. I feel sick and my knees feel weak. He can't go after Autumn. We have to protect her. Then his words come at me with such force I nearly fall over.

_She already knows too much._

Does Autumn know what really happened to Elizabeth and Logan? Or what they actually did?

That can't be right. Can it? But it makes sense. Autumn is a child genius with an eidetic memory. She probably saw something by accident without even realising it. Or did she find out that they weren't killed in a car accident? The social services did say she disappeared numerous times without them knowing her whereabouts. Autumn could have been trying to figure out what actually happened.

I need to speak to Arthur. We have to tell her. Even if she already knows.

I walk straight into Arthur's office without even bothering to knock, his assistant following closely behind. Thankfully he was alone.

"Sorry sir, I tried to stop her," He says.

"It's quite alright, Micheal," Arthur replies.

And with that Michael leaves.

"I take it you've been read in on the situation," Arthur says.

"Yes and we need to talk about Autumn," I say. "She needs to know. If she doesn't already."

"And tell her what exactly? How is she going to take it when we tell her that the people who raised her are spies and have been trying to take down the Extreme Ultra Soldiers from since she was five? That we are actually her par…"

"We haven't been that at any point in her life Arthur. We stopped being that when we gave her up. When we got Liz and Logan to look after her. To protect her," I say cutting him off.

"There's another reason we can't tell her. Imagine what that would do to her. She's been with us for two weeks and we haven't even broached the subject. We have lied to her," He counters.

"And the longer we do, the harder its going to be to tell her the truth."

"She can never know the truth Joan. Autumn is too much like you for us to do that. She will want to try and stop the EUS and that will only result in more casualties. That girl has already lost too much," Arthur says.

"What if she already knows Arthur? What if she already knows that Liz and Logan didn't really die in a car accident? That they were gunned down? Uh? Autumn is not stupid Arthur. She probably picked up on things over the years. The strange disappearances. The injuries. The secrecy. Not to mention the fact the social workers didn't even know where she was at certain points. Autumn knows something. And she has the right to know the entire story. Not just the parts she found out herself," I say angrily.

"Maybe so. Maybe she does have the right to know. But do you think it's fair to tell that to a fifteen year old? And not just any fifteen year old, a fifteen year old in her senior year of high school. One that has so much ahead of her."

"Fair!? Is that what you're pulling? You think it's fair to keep her in the dark about her own life?" I spit. "We both know how unfair that is Arthur. We are both spies. We can't keep this from her. She may only be fifteen but she is just as mature as some of my agents."

"It may not be fair in that sense and yes she is mature for her age but now is not the time to tell her."

"When is the right time then?"

"I don't know but it isn't now. I have Annie on the operation. We aren't backing down. We are not letting Seyal win," He says.

I sigh and walk to the door but before I leave and turn and say, "This isn't over, Arthur. She will find out eventually."

"I know."

And with that I leave with a deep sense of dread. Autumn knew more than she was letting on. And because of that she wasn't safe. None of us were.


	11. Chapter 10: ME AND MY CELLO

**_Chapter 10: _**ME AND MY CELLO

**_Autumn's POV_**

As soon as I walk into the classroom all eyes turn to me. Great, this is going to be just like any other of the schools I've been to. At least I get to start at the beginning of the year unlike Germany, Russia and Spain.

I follow Hunter to the back of the classroom where a girl with black hair and green eyes is watching us with more concentration that the rest of the room. Everyone else has resumed their conversations while she is seemingly alone. The girl looks about seventeen and is dressed in a blue pair of three quarter length jeans, a white vest top with a navy sleeveless shirt pulled over it and a pair of white converse. She had the style that I loved but didn't have the edge to pull off.

"Hunter you took your time," She says as Hunter takes a seat in the stool beside her. I sit awkwardly beside him. "Who's the new girl?"

"Aria this is Autumn Woods. She's here for her senior year. She just moved in with her Aunt and Uncle," He says.

"Nice to meet you Autumn. I'm Aria Roberts. Welcome to Rockbourne," Aria says.

"Nice to meet you Aria," I say politely.

"Oh, you have an accent. Where abouts do you come from?"

"Technically Virginia but my parents moved around a lot so the English accent was the one that stuck. We spent three years there. One when I was five and two when I was thirteen. So all over I guess."

She nods and gives me a smile. "So has Hunt here been treating you right?"

"He's been very welcoming."

"Good because if not he'd have me to contend with. He may only be fifteen but he still has to be nice" She says nudging him playfully.

"Ignore her. She thinks she runs the group because she's older than us," He says with a smile.

I smile at how relaxed they seem to be around me. It usually takes me weeks to make friends but today it took me twenty minutes.

"So Autumn, how old are you if you don't mind me asking?" Aria asks. "You seem a bit young for senior year."

"I'm fifteen and my birthday is on July fourth. I'm a couple of years ahead of what I should be in school as I have an eidetic memory and an IQ of 196," I reply.

Aria smiles and then turns to Hunter her eyes playful. "Oh Hunter we finally found somebody smarter than you," She says with a fake frown. "What are we going to do?"

"Awk shhhh. We knew it was going to happen eventually," Hunter says laughing.

"So Autumn, let's see your schedule and locker assignment. Hunt and I'll will mark your classes on the map," She says. I hand her over the pages the receptionist gave me and Aria puts them between the three of us.

On my timetable it showed when my classes were and what classes I was to be taking. One of them being there solely for me to have the required course for my diploma. I was taking the following: AP Math, AP Physics, AP Chemistry, AP Biology, Social Studies, Performing Arts, AP Russian, AP English Literature and AP Computer Science.

I watch as Aria and Hunter take in the information and then look up at me.

"These are a lot of subjects…" Aria says trailing off.

"Yeah and that's big coming from me. I take seven," Hunter adds in.

"It looks like we both share some subjects with you though which is good. It means you won't get lost as easily. Although you do take way more AP subjects than me," Aria says.

"Also neither of us does AP Russian or Social Studies," Hunter adds."Plus why do you do Social Studies? It's only compulsory for three years and why not AP?"

"In England you have a subject called History which isn't actually compulsory but I did it for GCSE which is a two year course. Despite the fact I have three year of History prior to that, it's not American history. It's all World War One and Two. The Weimar Republic. The Tudors. My Aunt thinks I need at least a basic understanding of American politics and history. So there the subject is," I explain.

"Fair enough," Hunter says.

"Now for shared subjects. For me you share AP Math, AP Biology, Performing Arts and AP English Lit. Also for AP English Lit you'll need to buy yourself a copy of A Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and For whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemmingway. The school sells copies of the plays we read and gives us printouts of the poetry we are studying," Aria says.

"As for me we share AP Math, AP Physics, AP Chemistry, Performing Arts and AP Computer Science. You don't need to get anything for those subjects but what part of Performing Arts do you do?"

"I do a little bit of everything I suppose. I sing. I act. I play instruments. Set design. Backstage work. The Arts where the one thing that kept me grounded in all the moves I've made," I explain.

"Okay, your starting to sound like the female version of Hunter. Except you are more artistic," Aria laughs.

"It's not my doing that I play three instruments and sing," Hunter says, defending himself.

I smile at that.

"What are you smirking at?" He says, playfully.

"I just happen to play five," I say quietly.

"Five!? Hunt it looks like you've meet your match!" Aria says. "What do you play?"

"Guitar, Ukulele, Bass, Piano and Cello. I did dabble in percussion but it didn't really click with me," I reply. "What instruments do you two play?"

"I play guitar, bass and drums," He replies.

"Violin and piano," Aria says.

Before we can say anything else our form tutor arrives carrying a pile of papers. But I now knew something. I was going to be okay at Rockbourne.

The first four periods went by quickly. I kept up easily enough in Maths and I got two new huge textbooks to keep track of. I was bored during the majority of Russian. I speak it fluently so I was able to do the entire lesson without difficulty. English was okay. It was like English in London. We didn't really start anything new but I was told the books I needed.

So here I was sitting in Performing Arts in the biggest Auditorium I had ever seen in a school before, our teacher standing in front of us on the stage. I sat beside Aria and beside her was Hunter.

"What's our teacher called?" I whisper to Aria.

"Mr Larkin," She replies.

"Hello everyone. Welcome back to another year at Rockbourne. I see we have a new student in our midst. What's your name young lady?" He says looking straight at me.

"Autumn Woods sir. I just moved here from London," I reply.

"Well welcome, I hope you enjoy your senior year here at Rockbourne," He says with a smile. "Now on to business. Before I can teach you anything, before I can develop your skills as a performer I need to see were each of your skill levels are at."

"So the assignment for Thursday is to put together an arrangement or piece to a song that you instantly fell in love with the moment you heard it. You can sing, dance, play an instrument, anything you want. I will give you Wednesday's period to rehearse and then the double in Thursday will be the day I will assess you."

I look at Aria and Hunter who both have smirks on their faces. Mr Larkin probably did this every year but I didn't know that. But I already had a rough idea of what do. The perfect song for me and my cello.


	12. Chapter 11: THE TRUTH

**_Chapter 11:_** THE TRUTH

**_Joan's POV_**

I stand silently waiting for Autumn outside the front of Rockbourne, the events of this morning weighing heavily on my mind. Arthur and I were on bad terms again and this rift was not going to get better any time soon.

"Joan."

I look up to see Autumn making her way down the front steps, bag slung loosely on her shoulder bouncing off her right side. She seems in a good enough mood and one thought goes through my mind. _You can't spoil that_.

"Autumn, sweetheart, how was school?" I ask.

"Alright. Got quite a lot of homework though and a performing arts assignment," Autumn replies and then adds on tentatively to the end. "Would we be able to go to a book store at some point please? I need to get a couple of books for English."

"Yes of course. What books do we need to get?" I smile.

"A Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemmingway."

"Should be easy enough to find. Let's go."

And with that we head to my car. On the way home we stop off at a Barnes and Noble, in which I had to convince Autumn to let me buy her the books she needed. After that we made it back to the house around 15:30 and as soon as we got through the front door I told Autumn to go do her homework.

I didn't exactly want to though. I wanted to spend time getting to know her but her school work was more important. She said she had Math, Russian (when did she learn Russian at AP level, I mean wow, I'm over twenty years older than her and my Russian isn't at that level), Physics, Chemistry and Biology to do. She said the Russian wouldn't take her that long and the science homework was just note taking. I told her if she needed help with her Math to call. I mean, I'm not as smart as her and it's been a while since I was a senior but I did do AP Math.

I hear quiet music coming from upstairs. Something with a lot of drums and bass. The lyrics '_I'm waking up to ash and dust. I wipe my brow and sweat my rust. I'm breathing in the chemicals,_' drift down and I'm curious to what on earth she's listening to. But that's probably just my age showing. However, whatever she is listening to is good.

Around 17:00 I go and check on Autumn. I find her sitting at her desk with a pair of headphones on, pencil in hand and writing notes on a page. Manuscript paper sat beside her and I could see music all in the bass clef. She was working on something.

"I hope you've finished all your homework," I say.

She jumps slightly and takes off her headphones. "Sorry I didn't hear you come in," She says. "Yeah my homework's finished; it's over there if you want to see it. I'm just working on my Performing Arts assignment."

She points to a pile of books and pages sitting on her bed and I walk over and have a flick through them.

"Okay, seems completely finished," I say. "Dinner will be around six, okay?"

She nods and says, "Thank you."

"I'll leave you to it but don't work yourself too hard, okay?"

"Okay," She nods.

And with that I leave her.

Fifteen minutes later I hear the low tones of a cello coming from Autumn's room accompanied with Autumn singing. Some words drift down as I hear the cello quickening.

_No matter what we breed. We still are made of greed. This is my kingdom come. This is my kingdom come._

She was talented. I haven't heard her play the cello before in the same room but even behind closed doors I can tell there is something special in her. She loses herself when she plays. She puts everything she has into it. But with that passion there must be a lot of pain under the surface. And that scares me.

One thing is for certain. I was right about Autumn knowing more than she was letting on. What she knew was what I was uncertain of. Could it be how Liz and Logan really died or what they actually did for a living?

I don't know but I can't tell her without Arthur and I being on different standing points. We have to both tell her at the same time. We can't be on different pages. Our relationship is complicated enough as it is and the last thing we need, the last thing Autumn needs, is for us to go on bad terms again.

I grip the edge of the counter in front of me feeling tears well up in my eyes. Arthur and I had to talk. We had to figure this out. Before it was too late.

Arthur arrives back around 21:30. I'm in the living room, reading, a cup of herbal tea on the side table. I was tired, the day weighing heavily on me but I knew I had to stay up and wait for Arthur. I look up when Arthur walks in and set the book down.

"You didn't have to wait up," he says quietly.

"You know rightly that I needed to wait Arthur," I say.

"You're still hung up on our argument from earlier aren't you?" Arthur says.

"I have every right to be Arthur," I say, coldly. "That wasn't a small dispute."

"You know I have a point. We can't tell her Joan."

"She has a right to know."

"What exactly does she have the right to know? What details? What do you think is bad enough that it has to be left out? What's too embarrassing?" Arthur says quietly. He would be shouting right now if it wasn't for the fact that Autumn was upstairs. "Cause I think she doesn't need to know any of it. That she gets to live her life without that weight."

"For goodness sake Arthur! Are you really that blind? She already knows something!" I spit, struggling to keep my voice low. "It's about time we told her everything! That we are her real parents. And that we sent her to live with Elizabeth and Logan to protect her. To keep her safe. That Elizabeth and Logan were actually spies that were investigating Ianto Seyal, the leader of Extreme Ultra Soldiers for over a decade and that's why she moved around so much when she was younger. That due to that investigation they were killed. That also because of something she knows about the EUS, she's now in danger too and probably will be until they are brought down for good."

"And what will that information do to her Joan? Uh? She's already having nightmares. Imagine what it would do if she knew more. And she's already insecure enough as it is. That'll be pushed over the edge when she finds out that her biological parents gave her away to 'protect' her, just to get sent back to them after the people they gave her away to were killed."

On some points Arthur was right. And yet on others I was equally right. This was not an argument either of us was going to win tonight. We both needed to cool off.

"This discussion is not over but we are both tired and we're going round in circles. We can finish this discussion tomorrow at work," I say quietly. "Goodnight Arthur."

I don't bother to kiss him goodnight or to look back at him when I get up and go upstairs. I was too tired. It had been a long day. And yet I knew I wasn't going to be getting any sleep. Not with this much weighing on my mind.

I close the bedroom door and get ready for bed. It was going to be a long night.


	13. Chapter 12: DEMONS

**_Chapter 12:_** DEMONS

**_Autumn's POV_**

It was Thursday morning and I was sitting in the auditorium, my cello beside me in its hard case. I was beside Hunter and Aria and silently freaking out. It was my first performance at Rockbourne and I was scared that I might mess up. It was just before 9:00 so our teacher wasn't even here yet.

Hunter was checking the tuning on his guitar while Aria was doing the same for her violin. And I quickly realise I should too. I quickly get the cello out of the case and quickly check the strings. There is only slight adjustments need, nothing major, so it's not before long I'm back to panicking.

At 9:05, Mr Larkin walks in, carrying a register and mug of coffee. He looked excited. Elated even. I wish I had that enthusiasm. But number one it was too early. And Number two I was too nervous.

_Pull yourself together, Autumn. You've done this hundreds of times. This is no different._

But in a way it was. Virginia felt different to the other places I've lived. It may just be the people or the circumstance but it feels different. Like a new start even.

Mr Larkin sits down at the desk in the middle of the audience chairs and sets up his registration and mark books. He takes a sip of coffee before talking.

"We'll be going in alphabetical order today," He says loudly, so everyone can hear him. "Hunter, you're first. Please state you name and piece when you get up there please. Thank you."

That means I'm last. Great, my nerves are going to have to survive that long without completely making me freak out. I watch as Hunter makes his way up onto the stage his guitar in his right hand. As soon as he gets up onto the stage he sets up the microphone stand to his height and pulls the guitar strap over his shoulder.

"I'm Hunter Adams and I'll be playing _In Dreams _by Bed Howard," He says.

"Okay when you're ready," Mr Larkin says.

With that Hunter takes a deep breath and starts to play a quick but mellow plucking pattern. But its when he starts to sing. I'm blown away.

_'Always a riddle in the world she says  
>Always a riddle inside my head<br>Always a thing to wonder the way we come to be  
>Oh it's a big old place for me, it's a big old world indeed<br>Everyone is killing me and everything conspires.'_

I watch him in shock and awe. His voice is husky and soft. But its powerful. He sings the notes with ease and plays the guitar with precision. I listen intently to the rest of the lyrics.

_'Oh in dreams I have watched it spin  
>See a violent crack of atoms were all that comes in<br>Oh in dreams I have lain in sin  
>Just to be the cracked and the cared for<em>

_How can I ask, ask for more?_

_Always a riddle in the world she says  
>Always a riddle inside my head<br>Always a thing to wonder in the way come to be  
>Oh it's a big old world for me<br>It's a big old world indeed  
>Kicking my heels and wondering how I've been here so long<em>

_Oh in dreams I have watched it spin  
>See a violent crack of atoms were all that comes in<br>Oh in dreams I saw Aesop's kin  
>Just a carcass of a man, I belong inside his skin<br>Mmmm mmmmm mmmm_

_Where to, where to begin?_

_I live alone now, I live alone in life without you here  
>I may be troubled but I'm gracious in defeat<br>Oh I may be troubled but I'm gracious in defeat'_

When he finishes the class gives him a round of applause including Mr Larkin.

"Thank you, Hunter," Mr Larkin says. "Next please."

The next person goes to the stage and Hunter returns to his seat beside me.

"Hunter that was amazing. Well done," I whisper as the next person sets themselves up.

He smiles that adorable smile of his and says, "Thank you. And stop panicking. I saw you tuning your cello. Even then I could tell you had a sort of delicateness with it."

I gape at him in shock.

"Also you're kind of shaking," He says. "Calm down a bit."

I smile weakly and clench my fists to stop the shaking.

No pressure then.

The other performances go relatively quick, the songs performed ranging from Taylor Swift to Wicked. Classical to rock. Demi Lovato to Ed Sheeran. Imagine Dragons hadn't been done yet. Thank goodness.

It wasn't before long that it was Aria's turn. She got up gracefully and confidently, violin and bow in hand. She set herself up and then asked a boy called Michael to play her backing track. She stepped up to the microphone and said, "Aria Roberts and I will be playing He's a Pirate from Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean."

She gave a quick nod to Michael who was back stage and then started playing. She started reasonably fast and loud but then went quieter. She was talented. Going up and down the positions with ease. Her fingers moved quickly and she swelled at certain points and quietened at others. She was talented. Her technique was practically flawless.

I was doomed. I knew I was. I was two people after her. I felt my stomach twist further.

"You'll be fine," Hunter whispered.

When Aria finished she got the same reaction as Hunter and she returned to her seat quickly afterwards.

"Well done," I whispered.

My performance came too quickly after that.

I sit down on the stool and position the cello. I quickly adjust the microphone and say, "Autumn Wood and I will be playing _Demons _by Imagine Dragons."

"When you're ready Autumn," Mr Larkin says.

I nod and take a deep breath. I place my fingers on the neck of the cello and play the first note holding it. I start to sing.

_'When the days are cold  
>And the cards all fold<br>And the saints we see  
>Are all made of gold<br>When your dreams all fail  
>And the ones we hail<br>Are the worst of all  
>And the blood's run stale.'<em>

I start to feel more confident as I go into the link and change the notes into arpeggios. I lose myself in the song and by the time I reach the chorus it's like I'm just playing in my bedroom without a care in the world.

I lose myself even further and the cello becomes an extension of my body. My voice becomes louder and more confident and as I hit the bridge I put everything I have into it.

_'They say it's what you make  
>I say it's up to fate<br>It's woven in my soul  
>I need to let you go<br>Your eyes, they shine so bright  
>I wanna save that light<br>I can't escape this now  
>Unless you show me how'<em>

I keep the pace up the whole way to chorus and keep the loudness of the cello and my voice in the song. __

_'When you feel my heat  
>Look into my eyes<br>It's where my demons hide  
>It's where my demons hide<br>Don't get too close  
>It's dark inside<br>It's where my demons hide  
>It's where my demons hide'<em>

I finish with a crescendo and I look out over the class. Hunter has a shocked expression on his face. Aria's mouth is hanging open. I can't make heads or tails of Mr Larkin's expression.

Crap. I've messed up.

But the class surprises me.

Mr Larkin stands up and starts clapping and the rest of the class follows suit. Wait...? A standing ovation!? That's new. When the clapping fade Mr Larkin remains standing.

"Autumn, that was a beautiful performance. Why that song?"

"Uh…" I stumble over the words until I find the perfect ones to respond. "It describes the past few months for me. With the moving around and my parents dying. I relate to it."

He nods and then gestures to me return to my seat. I do and when I sit back down Hunter whispers into my ear.

"Well done. I knew you were going to be good but I didn't realise it was going to be that good. You keep surprising me, Autumn. I like it."

I smile at him and one thought crosses my mind. Maybe I would fit in here. Maybe this was going to be different.

It felt strange.

For the first time in my life, I belonged.


	14. Chapter 13: GUT INSTINCT

**_Author's note:_** Hi everyone! Just a quick note before the chapter. I just want to say that big conversation between Autumn and the Campbells is coming up in a few chapters. A big event is going to occur where they are going to HAVE to tell what's going on. The same goes for Autumn. In that chapter she will spill what she knows also. This chapter will become the game changer.

Also thank you to Covert Affairs Intelligence. I listened to Bea Miller and she is amazing. Even if I do not get the songs in directly they will be getting a mention.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. Here's the next chapter (it's more of a filler but still). Hope you enjoy!

**_Chapter 13: _**GUT INSTINCT

**_Joan's POV_**

After Autumn's first week of school, the weeks flew by. We all fell into routines. Mornings became less chaotic. We created a system. Everyone got out of the house on time. Autumn never missed her bus. Arthur and I were never late.

Autumn settled into school quickly, mixing in with nearly every single music group bar band. She kept on top of her work and was kept busy with rehearsals for various concerts and events. She has made friends easily and I could even see her getting closer to Hunter as she was never off Skype with him or, if that wasn't accessible, texting. I'm not sure how I felt about that but I was glad she had a friend. Even if it was a boy.

Autumn's nightmares were seemingly becoming less frequent and she seemed to be sleeping more but I couldn't be sure. She could be just getting better at hiding it. But even so I was still worried.

The secrets Arthur and I are keeping from her weighs on me daily. I understand why we can't tell her. She seems to finally settled and even happy. She's getting through her grief. I don't want to spoil that. But I understand why we have to tell her too. She has the right to know. To know who we are and how much danger she's in. And it'll have to be soon that she's told.

Autumn's becoming more distant from us. She may be more settled than what she was in August but she's hiding something. Something big. And the reason she's probably not talking to us is because she knows we are hiding something. She doesn't trust us due to this and the further we drift apart, the harder it will become to tell each other the truth.

Arthur and I are on slightly better terms. We still disagree greatly about what Autumn should know. Though we agree on one thing.

Ianto Seyal needed to be hunted down for Autumn's sake. She wasn't going to be safe until we did.

We took his warning seriously but we didn't stop looking. That wasn't going to happen. Not if Autumn was at stake.

But something was coming. Something big. I have a bad feeling about this investigation. Something was going to happen that would turn the odds. In whose favour I did not know. All I knew was it was something bad was going to occur. Something I could not stop. And it was coming soon. Coming for Autumn. I could feel in my gut.


	15. Chapter 14: TERRIFIED

**_Author's note:_** Hi everyone! The song Hunter is singing is called 'Broadway, here I come' from SMASH just for reference. Thank you for reading! Here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy!

**_Chapter 14: _**TERRIFIED

**_Autumn's POV_**

**_Late October, just before Halloween break_**

I stand in the changing rooms at Rockbourne, putting on makeup. It was the last day of school before Halloween break. Technically school ended hours ago but not for the performing arts class. It was apparently a tradition for the performing Arts class to hold a Halloween performance before half term.

So here I was standing in a three person dressing room beside Aria and Lisa, another girl in my class, getting ready for the performance. All the girls were dressed in colourful skater dresses with black leggings, black belt and black plimsolls and the boys in black trousers, black shirt, black shoes, brightly coloured tie and a brightly coloured vest.

I had to admit I was excited. A lot of work was put into this and even though it wasn't really to do with Halloween but more of a showcase it was extremely fun to put together. Joan and Arthur were coming and for the first time I felt excited for relatives coming to a show. Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door and a yell.

"Places! We start in five!"

I smooth down my purple dress and Aria gives me a smile. She looks stunning in her red dress and it makes me feel a bit self conscious. But I quickly push the feeling back.

"Ready?" She smiles.

"Ready."

I line up quickly at the entrance to the aisles. Hunter was at the other door in the same position in the line as me. We were partners for the first routine and to be quite a lot of the show. We were at the very back as we were the ones who were able to pick up the routine best. So when we made it up onto the stage we were at the front.

Hunter gives me the thumbs up as the first chords of '_Born to Hand Jive' _and I return it with just the same amount to enthusiasm. We'd become close over the past month and always managed to make each other smile.

The routine went by fast. Hunter and I got through the dance solo without any mistakes (thank goodness). The solo consisted of a lot of quick turns and tricky feet movements and we actually managed to pull off the slide we kept messing up in rehearsals. Once the routine came to a close, it was met with a round of applause and we hurriedly made it back stage.

We still had an hour and forty minutes of the show left. But it didn't seem daunting. I knew exactly were Joan and Arthur were sitting and they seemed to be enjoying themselves. They'd gotten out of work to come and I was glad.

I stand in the wings waiting for my next number. This one I was certain would blow away the audience. Especially Joan and Arthur. At least I hoped it would. I had a good feeling about tonight. I don't know why I just did.

I sit centre stage on my stool with my cello positioned in front of me. All the members of the class had two solos during the showcase. This was my first. Aria was beside me as backing on her violin.

I start to pluck the strings on my cello and try to lose myself in the song. The song was a slower version of Halo that had been used in If I Stay. And I had instantly fallen in love with the arrangement. I finish the intro and start to sing.

_'Remember those walls I built,  
>Well baby they're trumbling down,<br>They didn't even put up a fight,  
>They didn't even make up a sound.<em>

_I found a way to let you in,  
>But I never really had a doubt,<br>Standing in the light of your halo,  
>I got my angel now.<em>

_It's like I've been awakened,  
>Every rule I had you breakin',<br>It's the risk that I'm taking,  
>I ain't ever gonna shut you out.'<em>

As I finish the verses I start to let myself get drifted away. I keep the plucking steady and pretend I'm just playing i my bedroom. Care free.

_'Everywhere I'm looking now,  
>I'm surrounded by your embrace,<br>Baby I can see your halo,  
>You know your my saving grace,<br>You're everything I need and more,  
>It's written all over your face,<br>Baby I can feel your halo,  
>Pray it won't fade away.'<em>

When I finish the chorus, Aria joins in, playing softly. We both stay in time with each other, the hours of practise paying off. We keep the speed even and I start to sing again.

_'Hit me like a ray of sun,  
>Burning trough my darkest night,<br>You're the only one that I want,  
>Think I'm addicted to your light.<em>

_I swore I'd never fall again,  
>But this don't even feel like falling,<br>Gravity can't forget,  
>To pull me back to the ground again.<em>

_It's like I've been awakened,  
>Every rule I had you breakin',<br>It's the risk that I'm taking,  
>I ain't ever gonna shut you out.<em>

_Everywhere I'm looking now,  
>I'm surrounded by your embrace,<br>Baby I can feel your halo,  
>You know your my saving grace,<br>You're everything I need and more,  
>It's written all over your face,<br>Baby I can see your halo,  
>Pray it won't fade away.'<em>

Aria joins in with the singing, singing 'I can feel your Halo. I can see you Halo' while I sing away.

_'I can feel your halo, (away),  
>I can see your halo, (away),<br>I can feel your halo, (away),  
>I can see your halo.'<em>

We both join in with same lyrics harmonizing, keeping the same rhythm.

_'I can feel your halo,  
>I can see your halo,<br>I can feel your halo,  
>I can see your halo.<em>

_I can feel your halo,  
>I can see your halo,<br>I can feel your halo,  
>I can see your halo.'<em>

When the song comes to an end we both fade out on our instruments.

We get a large round of applause and my eyes fall on Joan who's desperately trying to wipe her eyes. She gives me a smile which I return as I leave stage right. It quickly fades though. Yes, I'm glad they are here and all but the rift between us is undeniable. They are hiding something from me. I'm hiding stuff from them.

So we're drifting apart. And every bad emotion I feel, I conceal. I've become good at it. I've done it all my life and will probably carry on doing so. I don't see the point in opening up if we are both lying to each other. Arthur hides it well but Joan doesn't. She keeps looking at me with sad eyes. I know there is something wrong. I'm not stupid.

I push the thoughts out of my head as I see Hunter take his place centre stage. He's wearing a purple vest and tie and it suits him. He looks handsome. I barely notice the static mic over his mouth and the wires coming out of the pack attached to his trousers.

The music to his first piece starts to play. The piano light and bouncy and he smiles, starting to sing.

_'I'm high above the city  
>I'm standing on the ledge<br>The view from here is pretty  
>And I step off the edge<em>

_And now I'm falling, baby,  
>through the sky, through the sky<br>I'm falling, baby, through the sky  
>It's my calling,<br>baby, don't ...'_

Suddenly there are several loud bangs cutting him off mid line. I know that type of bang… Where do I know those bangs from… Crap… They're gunsh...

"WHERE IS AUTUMN WOODS!?"

I hear a loud booming voice coming from the audience area and fear paralyses me. Thankfully Hunter doesn't look in my direction but I can see him tense up. Aria looks at me in horror. What do I do? What do I do!? Think, Autumn! Think!

"I WILL NOT SAY IT AGAIN! WHERE IS AUTUMN WOODS!?"

More fear floods my system as Hunter talks.

"She… she went to the toilet after her… her piece."

"What toilets?"

"I don't know! The ladies?"

"Are you trying to be funny?"

"No!"

He's trying to be helpful. Distract them so I can escape. Think Autumn! Think!

Then it hits me.

"Aria do you have your phone on you?" I say quietly, taking off my static mic, which thankfully was muted.

"Yeah," She says pulling out her phone from the front of her dress.

"What's your password?" I say taking it.

"24601."

"Okay," I say, grabbing her arms to get her to look at me. "If anyone asks I went to the toilet. I 'm going to get help. You did not see me! Understood?"

"Yeah," She says, her voice cracked. "What are you going to do?"

"I know someone. Someone who can help," I say. "Then I'm going to hide for as long as possible."

She nods and then pulls me into a hug. "Be careful."

I give a quick nod but before I go I quickly look out into the audience. Eight guys. Four with rifles, one with a shotgun, three with pistols. Maybe a few knives.

My eyes meet Joan's and she gives me a proud smile. 'Be careful,' she mouths. I nod and disappear again desperately hoping this would work. I give one last look over to Hunter who was still standing on the stage and then to Aria who looks terrified. I then quickly exit through the side door of the staging area.

I was terrified.

But I cannot let that get to me.

If I did, I wouldn't live to see tomorrow.


	16. Chapter 15: MOMMY'S HERE

**_WARNING:_** VIOLENCE

**_Chapter 15:_** MOMMY'S HERE

**_Autumn's POV_**

The school was dark; almost pitch black and I'm careful as I navigate the halls, moving far away from the auditorium. I watch my step and make a decision that I hope will buy me some time. I go into the boys toilets. They won't think to look for me here. Well at least not for a while.

I quickly unlock Aria's phone and dial the main number Joan and Arthur gave to me if I was in trouble and I couldn't get to them. They made me memorize it which wasn't hard to be honest with my memory. I desperately hope he picks up as it rings but it barely makes it to the fourth ring before there's an answer.

"Hello?"

"Auggie, it's Autumn," I say keeping my voice low, unsure how close the people looking for me were.

"Autumn!? What's wrong I thought you had your show tonight?" Auggie's voice came over the speaker full of concern.

"I do but some guys just burst in and took the entire place hostage. They're after me Auggie. I don't know why but they are," I say quietly.

"Hostage!? How are you calling me then?"

"I was backstage when it happened. I got out before they checked there. I'm using Aria's phone. I'm not sure how long I have before they find me. Hunter distracted them by telling them I'm at the toilet but that'll only hold for so long," I reply. "Can you send help or something? These guys aren't exactly amateurs from the looks of it."

"I'm still at work, so yes. You're on speaker now. People are working on getting a team mobilised," He says. "Where are you now?"

"The boys toilets, its the first place I thought of. I mean why would a fifteen year old girl willingly come in here?"

"Good thinking. Now did you see how many people were there?"

"Yeah, I counted eight in auditorium. Four with rifles, one with a shotgun and three with pistols. Also a few knives from the looks of it. But there could be more."

"Good. Now I need you to stay on this line but you need to find a better hiding place. Help will be there in twenty," Auggie says. I could hear chaos in the background. "Where are Joan and Arthur?"

"In the audience," I say.

"Okay, we can get to them but first I need you to find a place to hide properly. Find a classroom. Close the door and lock it. Then hide under a table until I tell you to come out, okay?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Now keep the line open but mute me so I can hear you but you can't hear me. I then want you to as quietly and carefully as possible hide, okay?"

"Okay, muting now."

I mute the phone and then take a few deep breaths. I slide the phone into my belt and make sure its secure. I was freaking out big time but I had to stay calm. For my own sake.

I quietly exit the toilets into the dark corridor. I make a split decision and turn left, the opposite direction from the auditorium. I could hear footsteps in the distance. Behind me but not close. I speed up knowing if I didn't I was done for.

I make it to the bottom of the corridor and carry on walking until I reach the English rooms. I pick a random classroom and open the door. But I don't get a chance to open it fully as I hear a shout behind me.

"Over here! I found her!"

Crap.

I pull the phone out of the belt and start to run down the corridor. I un-mute the phone and put it hope to my ear never breaking the pace. I don't look back but I can here footsteps getting closer.

"Auggie, change of plan. They found me," I say.

"Right, you need to get out of there Autumn, or at least hide until we can get to you," Auggie said, in a calm voice. How is staying so calm!?

"Oka..."

But I don't get to finish the response.

I weight barrels into me from behind and pins me to the floor. I hear a crack upon impact and pain shots up my side. But I don't scream. I don't cry. I don't yell.

Instead I fight back.

I bring my elbow back as hard as I can and I hear a crack and a yell as it makes contact with something. The arms loosen and I manage to wriggle out. I get up pain shooting through my side but I ignore and carry on running.

I was now phoneless and there was at least one other guy other than the one I elbowed chasing me. I run hard and fast, adrenaline coursing through my veins. _Keep going. Don't stop running._

I navigate the halls quickly, not really aware of where I'm going. I take quick turns dodging lockers and watching my footing. _This is not the dream. This is not the dream._

The next thing I know, I'm on the floor.

I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and I had run straight into him. I'm _so stupid._

Before I could react a kick is sent straight to my stomach flooring me. Another crack resonates.

"Hello Blondie. You must be Autumn Woods," The man says. "Now why would you be running away from us? We just want to ask you a question."

I keep my gaze on the floor and go for the silent option. This gets me a kick.

"Now, here's the question. And I know if you're lying, just remember that," He says with a sickening grin. The other two guys had caught up by this point. "Go back to the main hall. Find Joan and Arthur Campbell. Bring them to me."

"That's not a good idea," I spit. "If they get their hands on…"

He gives me another kick and I let out a whimper.

"Did I say you could speak?"

The other two leave and I'm left completely alone with this guy.

"Now I need you to answer this question truthfully. Understood?"

I look up at him and give him a dirty look.

"I'll take that as a yes," He smiles wickedly. "What do you know about Ianto Seyal?"

I bite my tongue. I knew that name. I saw it in a file on the kitchen table the day my parents died. My father had hastily hidden it when I saw it. That was the last time I saw them alive. How did he know who Ianto Seyal was?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I say, quietly. That gets me a hard punch to the head. My vision blurs but it quickly refocuses. The pain on the other hand...

"Don't lie to me, little girl! I know you know something!"

I remain silent and this gets me a kick to the side. I'm not sure how long this goes on for. But I hear two more cracks in my chest area, my nose breaks and I'm pretty sure I'm concussed. But despite it all I remain silent. I will not tell them what I know.

He eventually gives in and produces a knife.

"I don't want to do this little girl, but I will. Believe me I will," He says pulling me up into a sitting position. I let out a whimper but don't say anything. I was in a lot of pain but I was not giving in. Help was on the way.

"Last chance," He says, putting the knife on the left hand side of my waist. I remain silent. "I did warn you."

He drags the knife from part of my back to part of my stomach. This time I do scream. I feel myself starting to bleed but I hear frantic footsteps. _Hang in there._

"Autumn! Where are you sweetheart!?" It's Joan.

"Here," I yell weakly but I'm quickly silenced.

The man punches me and hauls me up. He pulls me into a headlock and the only reason I manage to stand is due his arm holding me up. I feel sick and light headed. Pain courses through my body and I fight to keep my eyes open.

I watch as Joan and two people come round the corner all armed. One of the people is a blonde woman and the other a brown haired man.

"Let her go," Joan says pointing her gun at him but it was useless. He had me at gun point too. A pistol at my head.

I let out a sob. I was terrified and I couldn't hide it anymore. Pain paralyses me.

"Pease, let me go," I sob.

But he refuses, instead tightening his grip. I was struggling for breath now but I still had some room to breathe. I claw at his arm but it's useless.

Suddenly there is a loud, almost deafening bang.

The man holding me goes limp and I run forward. I barely make it three strides before my legs buckle. But Joan is there to catch me and lower me to ground. She keeps me in her arms.

"I'm sorry," I cry. "They found me and I couldn't…"

Joan quickly shushes me. "Shhhh, calm down its okay. It's okay. It's over now."

I feel the edges of my vision start to darken but one decision echoes in my mind, as certain as I've ever been. I'm joining the CIA. Whether Joan and Arthur likes it or not. This had to end.

Before I completely black out five words spoken by Joan reach my ears. Five words that told me it was going to be okay. That I was safe for now.

"It's okay, sweetheart. Mommy's here."


	17. Chapter 16: FAMILY

**_Chapter 16: _**FAMILY

**_Joan's POV_**

I sit in the hospital with Annie beside me. My dress was covered in Autumn's blood and my hand's were raw from me trying to get the blood that was long gone off of them. It has been over an hour since I had left her side. Let go of her hand. She had looked so pale. So fragile. Blood had soaked the left hand side of her purple dress. There was also blood smeared across her face, under her nose and her forehead. And I felt like I had failed.

I was supposed to be the person to protect her. To stop things like this from happening. She should not have gone through that. That's why we sent her to Liz and Logan and somehow even that went wrong. Thank goodness Arthur had been there or things could have gone very differently.

I don't think Autumn really knew what had happened when we had found her. She was hanging limply in the man's headlock. Her face was pale and she seemed to be going into shock. I had panicked when I saw her being held at gun point. I hadn't had a decent shot of the man holding her neither had Annie or the other agent with me. But somehow Arthur has snuck round behind them and shot the man in the head.

Autumn had lost it then. She had been so strong, so brave up until that point. She had done the smart thing by calling Auggie who had got help to us quickly. As soon as the Auditorium was cleared, we searched for Autumn. We had found her just in time. Any later, Autumn would have broke. I saw it in her eyes. She may not have known it but I did. But the amount of strength and courage taken to get that far was enormous for a girl with no experience. And I was proud. So, so proud.

I look up from the spot on the floor I had been staring at as the main door to the waiting room swung open. It was Arthur.

He was carrying a black sports bag and then a brightly coloured backpack over his shoulder. He had a concerned look on his face. He had changed from the last time I had seen him. He now wore a pair of blue jeans, hiking boots and a dark grey 'NAVY' t-shirt with a jacket pulled loosely over it.

Instead of going in the ambulance with Autumn and I he went back to the house and gathered essentials for us. We both had someone's blood on us when the situation was defused and we knew when Autumn started to come round she would need something to wear too.

He hands me the black sports bag which I took thankfully. I was never wearing this dress again. Not after what's been on it.

"I just grabbed you a pairs of jeans, converse and a t-shirt. I was rushing, I'm not even sure what I brought for Autumn is any use or matches. I just grabbed stuff that looked…" He says, starting to babble. He does this when he loses control.

"Arthur, I'm sure it's fine," I say cutting him off.

"Any news?" He asks.

"No. Not since she was brought in. The last time I was with her was over an hour ago but they said they'll need to do X-rays, bone resets, stitching and some other stuff. She'll be in a lot of pain when she wakes up," I say. My voice started off strong at the start of the response but it quickly weakened to a barely audible whisper.

"She'll be okay Joan. We got to her. She'll be okay," He says, pulling me off the chair and into a hug. "Now do you want to find somewhere to get changed? I'm sure you don't feel comfortable in that dress."

I nod and pull away, my mind set on finding the ladies. _One thing at a time, Joan. One thing at a time. She'll be fine. She'll be okay._

When I get back from the ladies' room, Auggie is there. He looks pale and he clutches his cane in front of him, tapping it on the ground. Annie had her hand on his shoulder trying to calm him down. They had been dating for a few months now. They didn't bother hiding it anymore. Most people knew.

"Hi Auggie," I say walking up to where he's sitting and sitting beside him.

"Joan," He says, his voice high. "I'm so sorry. I tried to keep her safe, I swear. I should have told her to stay in the boys' toilets but I didn't know if it was safe there. I'm so sorry. It's all my fau…"

"Auggie, stop," I say. I keep my voice strong and steady in a stern tone. He tenses up beside me. "It is in no way your fault what happened at the school. You performed exceptionally. If you hadn't have been there, Autumn would… Autumn would be…"

I start to stutter. I can't bring myself to utter the words. I just can't.

"Thank you Auggie. Thank you for saving her," I say patting him on the shoulder.

Before he can respond the doors leading to where Autumn was taken swing open and in walks a tall man in a white coat.

"Autumn Woods' family?" He says loudly but there was no need. We were the only people there.

"That's us," I say standing.

"Right, I'm Doctor Peterson. I've been treating Autumn for the past two hours," He says sympathetically. "Who is her immediate family?"

"That would be us," Arthur says taking my hand. "We're her parents."

I look at him in shock. Did he just say? I guess the whole what we should tell argument is over. Annie and Auggie look at us with bewildered expression. I give them a quick glance that says, _Don't say anything. I'll explain later._

"Okay," Doctor Peterson smiles. "Come with me. At the moment it's only immediate family but the rest of your party can accompany you once I fill you in on Autumn's condition. This way."

He gestures towards the door and Arthur and I follow, giving one quick glance back to Auggie and Annie. Annie gives a smile as the door closes. Arthur never lets go of my hand as we are led into a small office. Doctor Peterson gestures us to sit done and we do so quietly.

"Autumn's injuries are quite extensive and wide spread across her torso and head," He says sitting down in front of us. "Despite this none of them are life-threatening any longer. The worst injury she has is the large slash on the left hand side of her torso. It will leave a nasty scar as it was made with what we presume was a blunt knife, but we have treated it and bandaged it up."

We nod and Arthur looks at me as if to say who will do the talking. I give him a distressed look and thankfully he gets the message as he turns to Doctor Peterson and carries on the conversation.

"What other injuries has she sustained?"

"Autumn has four broken ribs. Two on one side and two on the other all lower. Her noise is broken and she has a cut on her forehead. She's also sustained a lot of bruising to her torso and arms. The injuries are not life-threatening as I said but she will be in a lot of pain when she wakes up, so at the moment we have put her on a morphine drip to try and ease it."

"How long will she have to stay?" Arthur asks.

"A couple days, a week at most but that's only if we run into complications. We just want to keep an eye on her head injury. Although when she does go home we'll be sending her with bandages and supports she'll need to change regularly and she'll need to have regular checkups to check recovery. We'll also be prescribing her painkillers."

Arthur and I both nod and this time it's me who asks the question.

"Can we see her?"

"Of course," Doctor Peterson says getting up and gesturing to the door. "Right this way."

Doctor Peterson leads us through some corridors and to a private room at the end of a corridor. He opens the door and gestures inside.

"I'll give you some privacy. Just call if you need anything," He says.

I nod and say, "Thank you."

Arthur and I enter the small room in which Autumn is. She's lying in a bed in the centre of the room a heart beat monitor attached to her left hand and a drip attached to her right. Her purple dress has been swapped for a hospital gown. Her nose is swollen and it has a plaster like bandage over it. Under her eyes is bruised and I can see paper stitches poking out from under her blonde hair. I can also see some bruises showing around her chest and arms. She looked to pale. So fragile. Gosh, how did I let this happen?

I close my eyes as nausea creeps up on me and I start to feel tears roll down my face. I make my way to the chair beside the bed and pull it as close as possible. I take her left hand with my right hand and stroke her hair with the other. Her head tilts towards my hand slightly but she doesn't wake.

"We have to tell her," I say quietly. "We can't keep this a secret anymore. I can't cope with hiding this from her anymore. Arthur I just can't."

"I know, Joan. I know," Arthur says, putting his hands on my shoulders. "We're going to tell her everything when she walks up. When she's coherent enough, we will tell her."

I nod, tears rolling down my cheeks freely now. "How did we let this happen?" I whisper. "How could we let someone hurt our baby so much?"

"I don't know but I'm going to do everything in my power to not let it happen again," Arthur says quietly. "I was stupid Joan. I should have agreed to tell her from day one. But I was scared. Scared of what she would think. But things are different now. I want her to know everything about who she is. Who Liz and Logan are. She deserves it. I want our daughter to know us. I want to know our daughter."

And that finally sets me off. I let out a choked sob and before I know it, Arthur's pulling me in a hug comforting me.

One thing was for certain now. Things were going to be different. Things were going to change. We were going to get to know our daughter. Our daughter is finally going to get to know us. And I was glad. Maybe we would be able to have a shot of being a family. Even if we were a little broken.


	18. Chapter 17: FIGHTING BACK

**_Chapter 17: _**FIGHTING BACK

**_Autumn's POV_**

I wake up to the steady sound of beeping and my laboured breathing. My head is pounding and I find it hard to focus. When I open my eyes the light in room is bright and I wince at the intensity. The room is overly clean.

Is this a hospital? Why am I in a hospital?

Then it hits me.

The show. Gunshots. Running. That man hurting me. Ianto Seyal. Joan saying, 'Mommy's here.'

I jerk up into a sitting position gasping but the sudden movement sends pain coursing through my body. I gasp, it hurts more than expected. More than it did at Rockbourne.

"JOAN!?" I say desperately, my voice raspy but strong.

For the first time I notice a hand in mine. It's squeezing slightly harder now. I turn my head to the left, pain coursing through my head at the movement, protesting. Joan is there, looking at me with concern.

"Autumn, its okay. I'm here," Joan says. "Lie back down sweetheart, relax. You're going to pull your stitches."

I unwillingly lie back down out of breath. But Joan's words from Rockbourne course through my head yet again. "At school, you said… you said that you were…"

I try to get the words out but they aren't coming out right. My thoughts are sluggish and I can already feel sleep tugging at me. No. No I can't go to sleep. Not now. I fight to keep my eyes open.

"Sweetheart, Arthur and I will explain later. For now you need to rest," Joan says comfortingly. "We'll talk when you're more coherent."

I try desperately to relax but I can't. I'm scared.

"I'm scared," I whisper.

"Shhhh, it's okay," Joan says. "I'm here, honey, and I am never leaving again."

She strokes my hair and I lean my head against her hand. The gesture is comforting. Not what I'm used to. In a matter of minutes, I'm asleep.

I'm in and out of consciousness for quite a while. I'm not sure how long for though. I know that there have been two dawns and one dusk but aside from that I'm clueless.

Though with every time I wake, I'm awake longer. My thoughts are becoming more coherent and I can get sentences out When I am awake, doctors prod at me, checking something. Always checking something.

But Joan is always there. Always comforting. And I'm glad.

By the fifth time I wake up, my surroundings don't scare me. I'm still in pain. Quite a lot actually. But it's bearable. Joan is gone but I know she'll be back soon.

I turn my head to the left to look out the only window in the room. It's a nice day outside. The majority of the leaves have fallen off the trees but some still cling to the branches outside of this window. It's pretty. I wish I could draw it.

I'm pulled out of my thoughts when I hear voices outside the door. They sound like Auggie, Annie, Arthur and Joan. I had met Annie last month when I had come to met Joan after school at the DPD. She was nice. I'd even go far enough to say a mini Joan.

Words of the discussion drift throw the door.

"Does she know?" It's Annie. "I mean she has to know by now right? You two are practically the same with an age difference."

"She doesn't know. At least not yet," Joan says. Her voice is quiet barely audible.

"What do you mean she doesn't know!?" Auggie says, his voice has been the loudest so far.

They were talking about me. That much I know.

"We're going to tell her. As soon as she wakes up," Arthur says.

I can no longer restrain myself. The door is slightly a drift so when I speak they hear me.

"Tell me what?" I say loudly.

Joan opens the door fully now her face bright red.

"Autumn sweetheart, your awake," She says with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Tell me what?" I ask again, ignoring her question.

Annie looks at Auggie and then says, "Auggie lets go get some coffee."

"We just got…" He begins then realisation hits him. "Oh, that sounds like a great idea! Let's go get some coffee."

Annie gives Auggie her elbow and they walk off.

"Arthur and I need to talk to you" Joan says in a serious, walking into the room.

She's wearing her 'Penn State' t-shirt with a blue cardigan pulled over it, blue jeans and blue converse. She looks exhausted.

She sits down and Arthur follows closing the door behind him. He leans against the wall and folds his arms across his chest. I shift uncomfortably trying to set up a bit.

"Arthur and I haven't been completely honest with you," Joan says.

"What do you mean?"

"Have you noticed any similarities between you and I, Autumn? Even Arthur and you? Anything at all?" She says.

"Yes," I say quietly.

I mean there were loads between Joan and I. Looks, personality, even literature. We had the same cure for really bad headaches. We both loved Ben Howard. We had the same build with her only being slightly more muscular and toned. Those were just a few.

"Joan and I are your family, Autumn. We're just closer than you think," Arthur says.

"We're your parents Autumn," Joan continues. "We're your biological parents."

I stare at them in shock.

Wait…? They're my… My suspicions were right. I knew Joan and I looked to similar for Aunt and Niece. Too similar in all aspects to be honest.

But how? How did I not notice this? Why did they lie? What's going on?

"How…?" I say but I'm met with a perplexed look form Joan. I try desperately to rephrase. "I mean I know the _how_. I do Biology. But how did I not see this? Why did you give me up to…? I mean are they even related to me?"

I stutter it all out and even end up nearly doing the biology gestures with my hands. _You're babbling, Autumn. Stop it. _I feel myself start to go red in the face as I grew more flustered. I was confused. So confused.

Arthur takes a deep breath before speaking. "When you were born Joan and I were still in the field. Joan was still pretty young and we were both taking really high risk missions. Missions that were getting us enemies. Enemies that wanted us dead."

"We sent you to Elizabeth and Logan to protect you. If the people who wanted us dead knew about you they would have used you against us," Joan says. "Elizabeth and Logan are you aunt and uncle. They are related to you, Autumn. Just not in the way we lead you to believe."

Anger courses through me at Arthur and Joan's words. _Protect me!? _They did it to _protect me_!? Well that idea went perfectly well. I mean I didn't get sent to a strange city after my '_parents_' got killed. I wasn't beat up for information I knew about them. I wasn't in a hospitalised after that.

Oh wait.

I was.

_Calm down Autumn. Calm down. They're not the only ones with secrets._

"Who's Ianto Seyal?" I say quietly. "Why were my par… Elizabeth and Logan shot and killed? Why was I beaten up due to information I knew? Am I safe?"

"How do you that name?" Arthur says, his head jerking up from the spot he was staring at on the floor. "How do you know that Elizabeth and Logan were shot?"

"I'm not stupid," I say evenly. "When men wearing suits come to your home telling you, your parents are dead, you've bound to get suspicious. Men who are way too well dressed to be police officers. Men that said your parents died in a car accident. A very funny car accident that was. Car accidents don't leave bullet holes in the bonnet of vehicles."

"How do you know that their car was shot up?" Joan pushes.

"Those mysterious disappearances while I was in care weren't just me going on walks. I went to the place their car was supposed to be getting crushed. Just in time too. It got crushed just after I left."

"Why didn't you tell us this?" Arthur says.

"Why didn't you tell me I'm your daughter?" I shot back.

We fall into an awkward silence and it takes me a while to get the courage for my next question.

"Who were Elizabeth and Logan really? Who's Ianto Seyal? I saw a file about him on the kitchen table the morning they died. It was gone when I got home. Am I safe?" I say quietly.

"Elizabeth and Logan were spies for the CIA. They've been working for the past decade to take down a global terrorist a known as Ianto Seyal. That's why you moved about so much. Liz and Logan were tracking his movements. The day they died, they were on their way to a meet. They had found something. Ianto's base of operations," Joan says.

Then something clicks. The place in the file. That's Ianto's base. That's why Logan had closed it so quickly. He was trying to protect me. Keep me from the information that could get me killed. But he had failed.

"New Orleans," I whisper.

"What?" Arthur says.

"I saw the file. I saw where Ianto's base is. It was in the file. His base is in New Orleans."

"That's why they wanted to you dead. You knew too much," Joan says in shock.

"I need to call Langley," Arthur says about to open the door.

_Don't let him leave. Say it. Say what you want to do when you leave school. Tell them. Come one, tell them!_

"I want to join the CIA," I say.

Arthur stop and Joan looks at me in horror.

"These people aren't going to stop until everyone around them that knows something about them. I want to join the CIA," I continue. "And don't say your going to stop me. The CIA is hardly going to turn down someone with my language skills. I mean look at Annie and I speak more languages than her. Plus I have an IQ of 196 and an eidetic memory. They're not going to decline me."

Joan and Arthur stare at me wide eyed. Joan is the first to speak.

"Okay," She says, quietly.

"What!?" Arthur exclaims louder than intended. I wince at the sound.

"You can join under a strict set of conditions," She continues, ignoring him. "As soon as you are well enough you will start an extensive exercise regime focusing in on all components on fitness. I will start giving you combat training soon after as well as Arthur. Your grades this year will be straight A's nothing less. You will go to University and graduate before any training with the CIA is started. You will become the best. Nothing less. Understood?"

"Understood," I say instantly.

I was joining the CIA. I was finally going to be able to fight for myself. This was finally going to end. Maybe not in the near future but it was going to end. I was going to be safe.

I was getting the chance to fight back.

And I was never going to back down.


	19. Chapter 18: DETERMINATION

**_Author's note: _**Hi everyone, I just want to say thank you so much for reading and for all the comments. I really appreciate it :) Now just before you read the chapter, can you please read the context below. It's important for contiuation purposes. ANyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

**_CONTEXT: _**This is the last chapter in which we will see Autumn as a 15 year old. The next chapter will make a two year jump to the start of her CIA training. She'll be 18 at this point. In the two years that I skip the events of season 4 and 5 will occur. However as I said in the first context message I wrote, Auggie and Annie will remain together. Also, Joan will not have recieved the offer for DCI yet. Mack will still be born though at the end of season 4.

**_Chapter 18:_** DETERMINATION

**_Joan's POV_**

Autumn was released a few days later with prescribed painkillers and bandages. Arthur was to control the pain medication and make sure she didn't get addicted. That she didn't go down the same road I did. I was to help her change her bandages every other day.

Even though Autumn was taking the first week and a half off of the start of winter term I could see her keeping her end of the deal up. Hunter and Aria came round nearly every day to drop her off work and they often stayed for a few hours to complete homework. Autumn kept up with her school work. And not once did she complain.

As soon as the doctor said she was allowed to do exercise and wasn't at risk of pulling her stitches, we started an exercise programme. We started with a 1km run a day, core exercises and cardiovascular endurance exercises.

Again, she never complained but I could see her struggling. It wasn't that Autumn was unhealthy or unfit, it was the fact the exercise she was used to doing was choreographed dance routines. She was fit for that. She was not fit for muscle toning exercises, runs or cardiovascular exercises longer than three minutes.

But Autumn never complained. She pushed through the muscle pain and the frustration. The frustration she feels when she sees no improvement in her fitness. But I do. At the start she was barely able to run five hundred metres. Barely able to do ten push-ups or fifteen sit-ups. Now, over a month later, she's going on longer runs, doing thirty push-ups and fifty sit-ups. Autumn is pushing herself with the type of determination and stubbornness I've only seen twice before. In myself and in Annie. And that scares me.

Months go by and Autumn does nothing but improve. But I can see her changing. What happened at Rockbourne never leaves her. She now sleeps in a position she can see the door. She takes her phone everywhere. She develops her fighting skills and never skips training. She keeps up with her work, goes to rehearsals and completes her training.

Despite this I can hear her crying at night woken up by the dreams that have haunted her since the day she arrived. And each time I hear her cry I go and comfort her.

We eventually become closer and she starts to confide in me more. But I can still see her walls. They were not coming down anytime soon.

Arthur starts to get used to the fact that she knows she is our daughter. He starts to act like a dad and I'm glad. It's what Autumn and him needs. They start to share in-jokes and even prank me from time to time. Most of the time I know Arthur is the orchestrator of these jokes and Autumn is the brains. It's cute. Even if it does usually end with me getting drenched on the way in through the front door with a bucket of freezing water hanging over the front, (let me tell you one thing, they did not try that stunt again).

Despite this Autumn never opens up to Arthur. Only me or Annie.

Talking about Annie, Autumn has become close to her too. Maybe it's because Annie is closer to Autumn's age than I am or the fact they share so much in common. Annie moved around a lot when she was younger and understood what it was like to never really having any strong foundations. Her language skills were also pretty close to the level Autumn's were at. If they were ever talking about something they didn't want me to hear they would slip into mandarin or some other random language they knew I didn't speak.

By the time April came around, Autumn's nightmares came less frequently. She spent a lot of time at school due to the part she got in Rockbourne's production of Les Miserables. Auggie, Annie, Arthur and I all went to see her perform as Eponine. She made every single one of us cry that night, though Arthur and Auggie would rather not admit it.

By the time May came around, universities were throwing scholarships at Autumn. Every single one of the Ivy Leagues offered her a scholarship as well as CalTech, MIT and NYU. They wanted her intelligence and I could see how hard the decision was for Autumn. I could tell she was shocked at the attention.

But I couldn't have been more proud when she picked Yale to take a two year scholarship to study modern languages and criminal psychology. Yale was a long way away but the distance was pushed to the side as the magnitude of the achievement dawned on Arthur and me.

Autumn was destined for big things and I was proud how far she had came without our support but she had it now and that was the main thing.

When she graduated as Valedictorian of her year, Arthur and I were the proudest people in the world.

She had held her end of the deal we had made with her in that hospital room to greater expectations that we thought she would. So in return we would too.

When she graduated in two years from Yale she would have a place on the CIA training programme.

Ianto Seyal better watch out. The Campbell's were coming for him. Especially their youngest member. And nothing was going to get in her way. It was in her blood.


	20. Chapter 19: READY

**_Chapter 19: _**READY

**_Autumn's POV_**

**_2 years later_**

**_Location: 'The Farm'_**

I watch as the trees pass me by on my right. I take in every detail of my surroundings. The surroundings that I was going to become accustomed to over the next year.

Joan was driving me to 'The Farm' today. I was doing it I was finally becoming part of the CIA. I was following in Joan and Arthur's footsteps. I was finally taking my first steps in taking down Ianto Seyal. My life was starting.

It was 6:30 on a Monday morning. Induction was at 7:00 and Joan and I were half an hour early. She said it's better to be early that late to the training. If we were late I'd either get punished or not let into the training programme at all.

And I didn't want that to happen. That means the months of polygraphs I had went through even to get to this stage were pointless and I would rather not got through that process twice.

Joan stops at security and pulls out her credentials and I quickly pull my purse out of my pocket and pull out my driver's licence. Both of our IDs are swiped through and the security gate opens. Joan drives down more spiralling roads and finally reaches a car park.

As soon as she parks we both get out of the car and move round to the boot of her car. She had wanted to drive me here. To say the final goodbyes. It wasn't easy to stay in contact with family members once the training had begun.

I had already said goodbye to Arthur and Mack. Joan and Arthur had thought it best if Arthur stayed with Mackenzie while Joan brought me here. Mack was only one and the three hour journey here wasn't exactly ideal to bring him on. I would miss Arthur and Mack greatly. I haven't seen Mack very often due to school but he's my little brother.

During my time at Yale Joan and Arthur Skyped with me often but it had usually been late at night when I had no lectures and Joan and Arthur were home from work. Mack was usually asleep by then. But I had made down every holiday. Christmas, Spring break and so on. In that time I had gotten to spend some quality time with my little brother. We might be seventeen years apart but I knew we were going to be close.

Joan helps me get my backpack and duffel bag out of the boot and shuts it quickly. She's avoiding eye contact with me but I can see tears in her eyes. If she started crying I may up doing so too and I couldn't let that happen on my first day.

"So this is it, first day of training," She says handing me my backpack.

I nod taking the bag. I pull it onto my shoulders and try desperately to figure out what to say. Saying goodbye to Arthur and Mack had been hard but saying goodbye to Joan was proving more difficult. I had no idea what to say. And obviously neither did she.

So I did the first thing that came to mind.

I hugged her.

She wasn't that much taller than me now but that was only because of her heels. Without them I would be the taller one. But not by much. Only by about half an inch. Joan hates the fact that I've out grown her and she doesn't like it showing. The first time I had come home from Yale I was her height. She responded by wearing heels all the time.

We pull apart and I feel her take in my appearance one last time. My style has changed a lot since high school. I still wore a lot of skinny jeans but the nerdy tops were now replaced with plain t-shirts, jumpers and shirts. My hoodies were now replaced with either my leather jacket or a blazer and my converse were now black lace up boots.

I could watch her take in my black boots, black skinny jeans, white t-shirt and khaki green shirt. Joan was wearing a black dress and heels.

"How did you get so grown up?" She says, pulling me into another hug. "Now you look after yourself, okay? Do your laundry every week. Listen to your instructors. Pay attention to everything. It could mean the difference between life and death in the future."

"Joan," I say pulling her out of her rant. "I'm going to be okay. This is CIA training not me going into hiding and you never seeing me again. I'll be able to contact you if I need you or want to talk. And believe me when I get the chance to I will be."

"Last minute checks though," She says gripping me by the shoulders. "Do you have your toothbrush? Lady supplies? Hairbrush?"

"Joan, I'm eighteen. I'm going to be okay. Don't worry."

"That's the thing Autumn, I will always worry about you," She says with a sad smile. "Now enough of this, you can't be late to induction."

"Goodbye Joan," I say quietly.

"Goodbye Autumn. I love you sweetheart," She says as she hands me my large duffel bag.

We hug for one last time and then go our separate ways.

I quickly make my way to the front entrance of 'The Farm'. It was now 6:45 and if I didn't hurry up I'd miss induction. I get to the front door but I'm blocked by a key card.

"Are you one of the new recruits?"A male voice comes from behind me.

I turn around to face a man in his late forties dark brown hair.

"Yes sir," I say, automatically treating him like a superior. "I'm Autumn Woods. I'm looking for Roy Gaskin…" I reply.

"You're looking at him. You must be the Campbell kid," He says with an angry tone.

"How do you know I'm related to the Campbells?" I ask.

"I've worked with Joan on occasion. You're the split image of her. I also saw her drop you off."

"Is me being there daughter going to matter to my training?"

"That depends, are you going to live up to the DNA passed on to you?"

"I don't know. But I am going to try the hardest I can to do so. Is that enough?" I say in an innocent tone.

"This way," He says, gesturing to a large building.

I let out a sigh of relief and follow him. I'd barely been here fifteen minutes and my similarities to Joan had already been recognised. Hopefully the other recruits won't recognise it. I mean they can't. They would hardly know who Joan and Arthur are. Maybe Arthur due to the scandal during my first year of college and that he used to one of the public faces of the CIA. But not Joan. She was still head of the DPD. Her identity was covert.

I follow Gaskin into a building and into a large hall. Lots of recruits were already there. Thirty at least. I quickly take a seat beside a woman with brown hair and green eyes who looks to be in her early twenties.

"You don't mind me sitting here?" I say quietly.

"Not at all," She replies.

I take off my rucksack and slide it under my chair and set my duffel bag on the floor beside my legs. The woman beside me has done the same.

"Autumn Woods," I say offering my hand for her to shake.

"Barbara Miller," She replies, shaking my hand. "Nice to meet you."

Before we can say anything else, Gaskin goes to the front and whistles loudly. The room silences instantly.

"Right, listen up. I will not repeat myself, so pay attention," He says. "My name is Roy Gaskin, one of the instructors here. You will do everything I say. Follow every instruction to the letter. That applies to all instructors.

"There are thirty-six of you here, whether that number will come out of this training course is a different matter. There will be six squads and you will remain in that squad until your training is complete.

"To my right there is a board where daily rankings will be posted every evening. The top third will be field operatives. At the minute there are lists on the board telling you where the dorms are, what dorm you are in and who you are sharing with. I am giving you until 7:40, not a minute later, to get yourselves organised. Your uniforms should be in your dorms already. At 7:40, you will come back here and I will give you the ground rules. If you break these rules you will either be punished or kicked off the course. After that you will have your first drill. Dismissed."

Every single one of us quickly lined up at the board and got our dorms. I was in dorm 17 with Barbara. Everybody made their way there with no issues, quickly and quietly. Barbara and I both entered our room quickly which was at the end of the hall.

The room was simple in layout. Two single beds, two chests of drawers, two mirrors and two small wardrobes. There was a bathroom to the right with the same basic requirements (toilet, sink, mirror and shower).

"Which bed do you want?" Barbara asks.

"Can I take the one next to the window?"

"Sure," she says, dumping her duffel bag and backpack on the other bed.

I do the same and quickly scan the room, looking for the uniforms. They weren't there so I quickly open one of the wardrobes. Bingo.

The uniforms were basic. Black combat trousers, a grey t-shirt and black boots. There were also belts in case you needed it. In the wardrobes there were four pairs of trousers, five t-shirts and two pairs of boots.

"How do you know what set is for who?" Barbara says.

"Well I'm slightly taller than you and we both have the same build so I'm presuming the longer ones are for me. What shoe size are you?"

"Seven," She says.

"That would be your wardrobe then," I say pointing to the one closest to us. "It's slightly creepy they know our sizes though."

"It's the CIA, what do you expect?"

I chuckle slightly, "True."

I quickly go over to my wardrobe and pull out a pair of trousers, t-shirt and boots. I also pull out a belt because I know rightly that the trousers were going to be too big in the waist. All trousers were on me.

Barbara went to get changed first and I started looking through my bag for my toiletries. I'd been stuck in the car for three hours. I needed them.

Twenty minutes later, I'm standing in my uniform in front of a mirror. The grey t-shirt was skinny fit and clung to me but it fitted perfectly. The trousers were being held up by a belt and I had tucked them into my boots which were tied in perfect bows. The colour didn't really suit me but I don't care.

I was ready for this.

I was ready.


	21. Chapter 20: OUR IN

_**Author's Note:**_ Hi everyone! I just want to say a big thank you to all of you for reading and all your lovely reviews :D I've been smiling for the past half hour because of them! Thank you again for reading and reviewing and I hope you all continue! Anyway, enough of my babbling, here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy!

**_Chapter 20:_** OUR IN

**_Joan's POV_**

I pull into the parking lot of the CIA. It was about four hours after I had dropped Autumn off at the farm. She was growing up and to be honest I was hating it. The three years she's been here has been with us has went so fast. She only graduated from Yale two months ago, top of her class none the less.

I quickly make my way through security and up to my office. The DPD was in full swing now. It was about 11:00AM so I wasn't surprised. I pull some files towards me to keep my mind of Autumn. It wasn't going to be long before she was walking through these corridors as a full field agent. It wouldn't be long before she had her own desk at the DPD and I would be handing her one of these files.

I close my eyes and rub my temples. I could feel a headache coming on. Between Autumn leaving, Mack deciding to not sleep for the past few weeks which kept the whole house up (including Autumn who on some nights actually calmed him down so we could sleep) and the Ianto Seyal case my stress was through the roof.

Usually in situations like this I would call Arthur but he was in meetings till 12:30 so he was unattainable. So I would just have to get through it.

I look up as I hear footsteps coming towards my office area and see Auggie. He still looked like typical Auggie, hair ruffled, blue shirt and black jeans.

"Auggie, what can I do for you?" I say with a smile as he stops in front of my desk.

"I was just wandering how Autumn got on this morning? I heard about who her instructor was," He says.

I smirk slightly at his comment. Him and Autumn were close after him saving her that night at Rockbourne. He had gotten her into Jazz music (awful music if it's not the right kind if you ask me) and on numerous occasions had helped her with her Computer Science work while she was still in high school.

But what confused me was what her instructor was. I hadn't heard anything special about him.

"Autumn got on fine. She should be going through her first drills by now. What about her instructor?"

"It's none other than Roy Gaskin himself. It got changed last night. I had to help replace the other guy because he got stuck on a mission."

I restrain from groaning. Autumn really was in for it now. Gaskin was a hard-ass. I've worked with him before and after the mission we had to run on him a few years ago, he may not be that loving towards Campbells. Because let's be serious. Autumn is the split image of me. She's not going to be able to hide her lineage.

Before I can respond to Auggie, Annie comes running up into my office looking flustered and upset. She's been working as a handler now. Ever since the DCI put his foot down and told her she couldn't work in the field we gave her the next best thing. Being a handler. It also meant she had more time to spend with Auggie at home.

"Annie, what's wrong?" I ask.

"It's Ianto Seyal. He's found our agent," She says.

"What!? That's the third in the past year!" I say getting up.

"I know but Joan… This one didn't get out… Ashley wasn't as lucky as the other two," She says staring at the ground.

Wait. Ashley was one of Annie's agents.

"Read me in now," I say following Annie to her office.

"A video just got sent to us. It's got Ashley and Seyal in it. It doesn't end well," She says opening the door to her office.

She walks over to her computer and taps a few keys bringing up a video. It fills the screen. On it appears Seyal who's got Ashley in front of him tied to a chair. He has a silenced pistol in his hand. POinted at her head.

"Now I thought we had gone over this. I am no longer going to play nice. The next agent you send will have way worse done to her if I get my hands on her. Leave Extreme Ultra Soldiers alone or a storm is going to come to the CIA."

He pulls the trigger and Ashley goes limp.

"I'll make sure her body gets to you," He says.

Annie looks away from the screen tears rolling down her cheeks. This is the first agent she has lost. She's blaming herself.

"Annie this is not your fault," I say grabbing her arm, trying to comfort her.

"It's going to take a long time for me to believe that Joan," She says quietly.

I let go of her arm and she turns her face away. That's when Auggie speaks up.

"Can you play the last fifteen seconds again?" He says.

"What is it Auggie?" I ask.

"I can swear I heard something in the background."

Annie walks over and rewinds the video back fifteen seconds. THis time I pay closer attention. I don't hear anything but I see an ever so slight movement of Seyal's head to the right and then back again.

"DId you hear it?" Auggie asks.

"Hear what?" Annie responds.

"Someone said dad in the background," He says.

"His head also moved slightly to the right as if someone was calling him," I say.

"Seyal has a son," Auggie says quietly. "That's our in."

"Auggie are you sure?"

"Almost certain," He replies. "Annie can I use your computer a second?"

"Sure," She says and leads him over to the keyboard.

He plugs in his headphones into the monitor and starts to type quickly. I don't know how long we wait for him to stop but when he does his face has lit up slightly.

"Keegan Seyal. Nineteen years old. Engineering student at Tulane University. Works at his father's bar to pay the bills," Auggie says. "That's our in."

"But we don't have an agent young enough to turn him," Annie says.

"But we do," Auggie says. "Well we will."

My stomach drops as I realise where he is going with this. "No we are not sending her in there. Ianto Seyal just killed one of our agents. We are taking that risk."

"She knows the risks Joan," Auggie says. "And isn't that the reason she joined The Agency in the first place?"

I close my eyes. He was right but it didn't mean I agreed with him. But I couldn't fight this. I couldn't. Autumn was the perfect candidate for this. And I hated it.

"Fine. But she has to finish the training course. I don't want her to be like Annie and have no gun training before she goes in," I say.

"Of course," Auggie says.

"Keep working on this but keep it under wraps. We have no idea how Seyal keeps finding our agents. He may have a mole," I say heading towards the door.

"Of course," Annie replies.

"I'll be in my office if you need anything."

I leave the office and quickly make it to mine. I hated this but it was going to have to happen. But maybe. Just maybe, Autumn will be able to end this when she gets out of the farm. I desperately hope she can because I don't want to think about what will happen to her if she doesn't.


	22. Chapter 21: GIVE UP

**_Author's note:_** Hi everyone! Just a quick note saying apologizing if I get CIA training completely off. I have no idea what they do for it so I'm doing a sort of Gallagher Girls mets the military that mets the CIA. Anyway, here's the next chapter! Thank you all for reading again and I hope you enjoy!

**_Chapter 21:_** GIVE UP

**_Autumn's POV_**

**_Four months later_**

I quickly run to the next checkpoint ducking as another target pops up. Gosh, I hated these exercises. I understand that you needed escape and evade skills to get through your life as a spy. But this is ridiculous. This has been the fourth escape exercise this week.

This particular one was particularly nasty. If you got caught by the infrared sensors on the targets you got hit by a red paintball. And gosh does it hurt. My first attempt was rather unsuccessful as I now had a red paint splat across my chest. I knew it was going to bruise by tomorrow.

I run to the next cover ducking beneath it and look round the corner. Three to go.

I make it quickly past the next two but I misjudge my aim and get hit in the back with a paintball the strong force flooring me. I let out a grunt as I get back up and I hear Gaskin behind me.

"Nice try Blondie!" Gaskin yells from behind me. "That's the furthest anyone has ever got on their second try!"

I nod and make my way back over to the rest of the group. I show no signs of pain despite the throb at the base of my back. I take my place beside Barbara and put my hands behind my back. We'd become close over the past four months with the whole room-mate thing. We actually had a lot of things in common. Both of us have degrees in languages. We both love travelling, reading and music. The only thing different is our taste in music, family backgrounds and age.

"You okay? That looked sore," She whispers.

"I'll be fine," I mumble.

Barbara's t-shirt is also splattered with paint balls, one on her right shoulder and another on her left thigh.

"That's the exercise over. It's now time for lunch. I will see you all at the combat training area in forty-five minutes. Dismissed," Gaskin says.

We all make our way quickly to the cafeteria thankfully. We had been at it since 0530 this morning. A running drill as soon as we woke up. Then it was breakfast before we were out again on the shooting range. This brought us to 0800 and we were brought to vehicle training for an hour and a half. Then it was theory which lasted one hour. That brought us to 1000 in which we did more drills and then moved on to lock-picking and infiltration. That brought us to 1200 in which we did an hour of escape and evade. We were exhausted.

I missed Joan, Arthur and Mack. I've only managed to get to talk to them a few times and Mack has learned a few words now. The only thing that keeps me going is my goal. Ianto Seyal. I was going to bring him down. I was going to bring him down so Joan and Arthur would never have to face what they faced in the previous two years again.

I was going to make sure of it.

The rest of the day went relatively quickly. Barbara only kicked my butt a few times during combat training so I call it fairly successful. It was around 1900 not long after dinner and we were all gathered in the main hall waiting for the instructors. A big announcement was planned.

Five minutes later Gaskin walks on stage followed by five other other instructors, three male and two female.

"Good evening recruits!" He says loudly. "We have come to make an announcement."

"We have reached the point in your training that is now ruled as the 'no backing out' phase," one the women continues. Every single one of us perks up at that.

"After this point you will not be allowed to back out unless you break the rules, your identity is revealed to the public or you get severely injured," One of the men continues.

"From this point onwards we are going to be teaching you the stuff that the public can't know about. We will now be putting you through the more advanced training. Exercises will come when you are least expecting it. They will be harder. Tougher. Less forgiving," Gaskin says. "This is your last chance. Is there anyone here that wants to drop out? If so do so now."

The room goes silent. No-one wants to back out. Not after already going through four months of this training. None of us was giving up. No way.

"Anyone?" The other female says.

We remain silent.

"Good. We have ourselves some fighters," Gaskin says. "Now we will see you all tomorrow at 0530 sharp. Dismissed."

We all get up and leave the hall quickly. I had a bad feeling about this 'advanced training'. Why on earth would they give us a chance to get out while we still could? Was the next part of training that bad? Dread fills my stomach but I push it down quickly.

You are here to take down Seyal, I think to myself.

And that's enough to keep me going. I walk into the common room and join my friends Barbara and Matt. I will beat this training. I will beat it.

**_Joan's POV_**

I look up to see Annie come into my office a file in her hand. From the look on her face it isn't anything too serious.

"Annie," I smile. "How can I help you?"

"You asked Auggie and I to keep track of Autumn's progress during her training. We have an update," Annie says.

"And… What is it?" I ask.

"They've moved the recruits onto the advanced training stages. It literally just happened. THey did the whole you can back out of the training now thing. No-one gave up. Apparently Autumn didn't even flinch."

"And she's still the top recruit?"

"She is," Annie replies.

I nod and take the file she's gesturing to me.

"That's her recruit file," She says.

"Thank you."

"No problem," Annie smiles.

With that she leaves, leaving me to my own thoughts. Advanced training stages meant shock and adjustment training. I remember mine. It was awful. We were left in the middle of the woods and told to make it back to camp by ourselves. All we had was the clothes on our backs and a compass. I didn't want to think of what Autumn was going to have to face.

The next few months were going to be rough for her and I wish I could be there for her but I couldn't. I was there in spirit though.

But I knew one thing.

Autumn will complete this training. She was strong enough to do so. She had my stubborn streak in her. She was not going to give up.

Autumn would not give up.


	23. Chapter 22: SURVIVE

**_Chapter 22:_** SURVIVE

**_Autumn's POV_**

**_2 months later_**

I wake up with a start as I'm hauled out of my bed. It's dark outside and the room is still pitch black. I automatically put up a struggle, bringing my right elbow up behind me. Hard. I hear a resounding crack and a groan but my arms are quickly restrained.

I look over to my right and see Barbara being dragged as well. She was struggling too but it looks as if she hasn't managed to land any blows. Before I can see who has grabbed us a cloth bag is pulled over my head. The little vision I had had in the dark room was now gone and I feel panic coursing through me. Memories of Rockbourne hit me hard and it takes all I have to calm down.

_Don't panic. Don't panic._

I feel my arms being pulled behind my back and tied tightly with what I presume is rope. A strong hand grabs me by the bicep and I'm led out of the room. I keep track of turns and doors and realise we are being lead out of the dorm building.

I wince as we are lead out into the crisp night air. It's freezing. My vest top and leggings do nothing to keep out the cold and I try desperately not to shiver. My socked feet weren't helping either, the ground being hard and cold. I had no idea what time it was. I knew it was around the early hours of the morning. Maybe one… I can't be sure.

I'm pulled into what I presume is a truck and sat down on a hard bench. This was one of the transport trucks. We've only ever used them once. Must be a training exercise. Gosh, I hope it's a training exercise.

I can feel people on either side of me, on my right is one of the guys and on my right one of the girls. I can tell by the muscle tone of their arm. Both have good tone but the person of the right has broader shoulders.

I hear the door of the truck close and the engine start. I was trembling slightly. But not from fear but from the cold. I ignore it. Instead focusing on turns. I count seconds in my head and count turns as we make them. Right, right, left, right, left. 107… 108… 109… 110…

The task keeps me calm and focused and when the truck stops I've counted to 1263. We'd been on the move for twenty-one minutes and three seconds. We didn't stop once so we were still on base. I hear the door open and I'm hauled off the truck.

Yet again I focus my other senses and stay calm. I'm led on to what feels like decking. The ground is hard, bumpy and wet. Definitely decking. Are we at the lake? Why would we be at the lake?

The next thing I know I'm being forced on to my knees. The bag covering my head is pulled off making me squint at the slight increase of light. I see that my assumptions are correct. We were at the lake. I look to my right to see my squad. We were all in various states of undress. Barbara was in a t-shirt and pyjama bottoms. Lucia was in leggings and a t-shirt. Matt was only wearing a pair of pyjama bottoms and I could see him shivering slightly beside me. Damian was slightly more covered up wearing a t-shirt and shorts. Luke was almost completely covered in a pair of bottoms and a t-shirt. But none of us were in any state to be out in this weather. Every single one of us was shivering. Some worse than others

"Hello recruits!" Gaskin yells from behind us. "Welcome to shock and adjustment training!"

I stare in front of me and hide my confusion. I had no idea what he was talking about. I was cold and tired. I had no idea how to get back to camp from here. I was not expecting this and from the looks on everyone else's faces, neither were they.

"When you are in the field, things can go wrong in a matter of seconds. That is when a spy's training comes into play the most. Your training can be the difference between life and death," Gaskin continues.

At his words Joan's voice echoes through my head. _It could mean the difference between life and death in the future_.

"Your instincts are going to keep you alive in the future. Your observational skills will keep you alive in the future. In the real world when spies get caught bad stuff happens. They don't get the luxury of a warning. Terrorists and criminals aren't that nice. That is why we have dragged you out of your bed in the middle of the night, giving you no chance to put on warmer clothes or shoes. It's time to see how you react in extreme conditions. Each of you has only had two hours sleep. It is 1245AM. You are tired and cold. Just like you would be in the actual field if this were to happen," Gaskin says. "Which one of you can tell me how long you were in the truck for?"

Everyone remains silent so I lift my head and offer the answer.

"Twenty-one minutes and three seconds," I say quietly.

"How many right turns did we take?"

"Fifteen."

"And how many left?" He continues.

"Twenty," I reply.

"At the moment Blondie here has the highest chance of survival. Pay attention! It will keep you alive. You all acted how you were trained when you were grabbed. Struggling then stopping when you knew that it was useless and to save your energy. One of you even managed to get a hit in, breaking one of my colleagues' nose…"

I smirk at that and I can feel Matt's eyes bore into the side of my face and I give him a slide glance and a shrug.

"Now your primary focus is survival. You will all receive one glow-stick which matches to one of the rucksacks at the other side of the lake. Once you obtain the rucksack you must use what is inside to get back to camp. Working together as a team in this exercise is the key to success," Gaskin yells. "Now, get swimming!"

My eyes widen slightly at his last statement. Swim!? None of us are in the right attire for that. We'll freeze. But the instructors don't seem to care as I feel my glow-stick being put round my neck and the rope keeping my hands tied go slack. I fight to stay calm. I was an okay swimmer. I mean I can swim for quite a distance but I wasn't as confident as others. Joan only taught me at the end of senior year and the other side of the lake was large distance away.

"You'll be fine," Matt says at a volume only I can hear. I give him a tiny smile even though I'm not convinced.

"Right recruits! Stand up!" Gaskin yells.

I stand up on shaky legs and take a deep breath. _Don't think just do_, I think to myself. _Don't think just do_.

"Go!"

I jump off the edge of the decking.


	24. Chapter 23: COUNT ON IT

**_Chapter 23:_** COUNT ON IT

**_Autumn's POV_**

I let out a gasp as I hit the water. It was freezing like I had expected but that didn't help the shock. My vest top and leggings do nothing to help keep me warm. I tread water for a few seconds and let my body adjust. Part of me desperately hopes this is some sick joke but it's not. So I start swimming.

I'm a little further behind anyone else, my stroke not being as strong but I keep up. Matt was leading but I think that's more of Matt wanting to get out of the water. We all do.

I have no idea how long it take for us to get out of the water. I feel considerably behind about three quarters of the way there and took about five minutes extra than the rest. As soon as I'm onto the bank I look for my rucksack. I find it almost immediately.

"What's in these?" I ask.

"Clothes, boots, not sure what else," Lucia says pulling off her wet t-shit and pulling on a black thermal.

I nod and quickly start pulling the clothes out. Its basic attire, combat trousers, long sleeve thermal, grey t-shirt , socks and a black hoodie as well as combat boots. I quickly take my vest top off and pull on the thermal. Six months ago I would have been opposed to getting changed like this but right now I couldn't care less. I was freezing and the shivers that were coursing through me confirmed it.

"We need to warm up," I say. "Has anyone found anything in the rucksacks that could help?"

"No," Damian says. "Just some torches and a compass."

"We need to get moving then," I say, my intelligence kicking in. I was in the process of pulling the combat trousers on.

"We should but does anyone know in what direction?" Matt says. He was now fully changed and tying his laces. I could barely see him it was so dark.

"I can figure that out in a second," I say pulling on the hoodie. It was about a size too big but I didn't care. An extra though comes to me. "Put the glow-stick they gave you around your neck. We can barely see each other."

Everybody does so and slightly more light is shown up on our faces. Five minutes later we are all changed and standing with the rucksacks on our backs.

"Right Autumn, what way do we need to go?" Matt says.

I had been turning round on the spot for a few minutes turning as if I was the transport truck that took us here. I ignored him until thirty seconds later and only responded when I had figured it out.

"That way," I say pointing east. "If we keep going in that direction we should reach the main buildings."

So we start walking. We walked at a good pace. A fast enough pace to warm us up but not so we tired ourselves out. Every single one of us was tired and hungry but we knew that wasn't going to get solved until we got back.

We kept our torches shining in front of us at all times. I was given the compass because I knew were we needed to go. It was pitch black and if it wasn't for the torches we would have been stumbling around blindly. I was also thankful for the glow-sticks. They allowed is to see each other.

So we kept walking. I have no idea how long for but I knew sunrise was still a long way away. Three of us fell due to the insufficient light and the rough terrain. I was one of them and the only one to get injured. A large gash was now on my left thigh but not so deep it was dangerous or I couldn't walk on it. I would have saved myself but I protected the compass before going down. Without it there would be no hope of getting back.

But we keep going ignoring the cold and our tiredness and how dangerous this exercise was. Because come on lets think about it. This exercise wasn't just cruel it was also incredibly stupid and dangerous. The risks alone for this exercise were far greater than the others. Hypothermia, drowning, shock, rough terrain that could cause broken bones and some others that I'd rather no think about.

A statistic that Joan told me in August flashes through my head that makes this exercise even more pointless. _Most operatives make it through their entire career without getting shot at_. If that statistic was true this exercise wasn't just dangerous but pointless. Most of us if not all would never end up in this situation. Some of us in this group didn't even want to work in the field let alone have to do this.

But we didn't complain. We kept our thoughts to ourselves. We kept going desperately hoping we could make it back.

When we finally made it back to the main buildings we were all exhausted. We were still damp but not shivering as much. Gaskin was there waiting for us at the door smirking slightly.

"That is the fastest I've ever seen a group of recruits do a shock and adjustment exercise," He says. "It's three AM. You now have the rest of your Saturday off. Use it as you please as long as it doesn't involve the breaking of base rules. Dismissed."

We all make a move to leave but I don't make it due to Gaskin grabbing my arm.

"Before you do anything Blondie, you need to go to medical," Gaskin says.

"Why?"

"That gash on your leg looks nasty and you're limping slightly. Get it cleaned and bandaged. I don't want it to get infected."

"But sir, I have no idea where medical is," I say. It was true. I had managed to get this far with only bruises. Nothing serious.

"I'll take you then," Gaskin says.

This is the nicest I've ever seen Gaskin, so I quickly follow him.

By the time I get back to Barbara and I's room it's nearly four AM. She was sitting on her bed quietly brushing her damp hair. She's had a shower judging from the change of clothes. She looks up when I sit down on my bed.

"Hey. Why did Gaskin grab you before you could get in?" She asks.

"Wanted me to go to medical," I say pointing at my leg. You could now see a white bandage sticking out of the rip in my trousers.

She nods. "What are you going to do with your day off?"

"I'm going to call Joan and Arthur. See how they are. You?"

"Call my parents. Read. _Sleep_," Barbara says.

"Sleeping sounds fantastic," I say laughing.

"Who knew CIA training would be so… Navy SEALS like?" Barbara says.

"If this was SEALS training, we wouldn't have the day off," I say, jokingly. To be honest I don't want to think what SEALS training is like after that. "I'm going to get a shower now. If you're asleep when I get out, I'll try to be quiet."

"Don't worry about it. And anyway, if I fall asleep while you're in there, it's going to take a nuclear bomb going off to walk me up."

I chuckle at her and start to gather my things. Before I go into the bathroom, I look at the photos I have on my bedside table. One of them was of Auggie and Annie. Another of Aria, Hunter and I. One of me and Mack. And one of Joan and Arthur.

I close my eyes briefly fighting back the tears. _Four months to go_, I think to myself. _Four months to go and you'll see them again. _And that was the only thing keeping me going. The thought of seeing them again. The thought that I had a reason for doing this. I had to protect them. I had to take down Ianto Seyal to make sure they were safe.

Ianto Seyal I'm coming for you. You can count on it.


	25. Chapter 24: BEING YOU

**_Chapter 24:_** BEING YOU

**_Joan's POV_**

It was around 13:00 in the afternoon on a crisp February morning when the house phone started to ring. Arthur and I had just gotten back from taking Mack to the park and for a dreaded moment I thought I was being called in to work.

"Hello, this is Joan Campbell," I say answering. I didn't recognise the caller ID.

"Hey, Joan. It's Autumn."

Autumn's voice came over the line. Relief washed over me, I wasn't being called in but concern quickly replaced the relief. Autumn sounded exhausted. Why did she sound so tired? Why was she calling at this time of day? She usually called in the evening around seven. But she hadn't called since December. I desperately hope she is okay.

"Hey sweetheart. Are you okay? You sound exhausted and this is a bit of a strange time for you to be calling at," I say.

"If this is a bad time, I can call back later," She says.

"No, no its fine sweetheart. Now, are you okay?"

"Yeah. We were given the day off. We had shock and adjustment training last night."

At the last phrase my heart drops. _Shock and adjustment training_. I desperately hope hers wasn't as bad as mine but it was likely. It got worse every year.

"And?" I say tentatively.

"We were dragged out of bed at midnight, blindfolded and restrained. Driven to the lake and told to swim to the other side. Once we got there, we had to make our own way back to base. By the time we got back it was around three AM. Although I didn't get back to the dorm room will around four. Gaskin sent me to medical…"

"Medical!?" I question as I sat down at the dining room table.

"I fell during the exercise and cut my leg. It's fine. It looked worse than it was."

I close my eyes. Her shock and adjustment training was closer to advanced military training than the CIA. I was just glad she was okay. But aside from that, something in her voice sounded off.

"What's wrong Autumn?" I ask.

"I miss you," She says. Her voice was barely audible. It sounded weak and tired. I could also hear tears. "I thought I would be able to handle the separation but I can't. I miss you, Arthur and Mack. I miss Annie and Auggie. I miss McQuaid. I miss Aria and Hunter. I miss everyone so much."

My heart breaks at the sound of her voice. I went through something similar after shock and adjustment. You hit your lowest after that training. You're exhausted and you just want to go home to your own bed. To your family but you can't and that's what makes it worse.

"Autumn, sweetheart, I know you miss us. I miss you too. But I know you'll be fine. Keep calling us. Keep writing. Keep sending us your drawings, Mack loves them. We have them pinned up in his room. You're going to graduate and we'll be there when you do. I know it's hard but it's worth it. You can do this Autumn. You can do this," I say, my voice strong at the start and fading out at the end. But the belief stayed the same the whole way through.

It took a while for Autumn to reply and I could hear some sniffling on the other but when she did her voice was stronger. "Can I talk to Arthur and Mack?"

"Of course," I smile. I get up and walk into the living room with the phone. Arthur and Mack were sitting there watching the TV.

I hit the button on the phone and put it on speaker.

"Guess who…" I say to Arthur. "Autumn you're on speaker."

"Hey Arthur," She says.

"Hi Autumn," Arthur says. "You still kicking butt at the farm?"

"Of course."

"You ready to pull some more pranks on Joan when you come home after training?" He says with a smirk in my direction. I glare at him.

"I'm always ready to prank Joan," She laughs. It's good to hear her laugh again. "I've already got a few ideas."

"We'll have to discuss them when you come home then," Arthur chuckles.

I would have thrown something at him if it wasn't so cute.

"How's the little man?" Autumn asks, changing the subject.

"He's good. He's sitting here watching TV," I say. I bring the phone closer to Mack. "Do you want to say hi?"

"Hiyo," He says. His speech is still basic but he's two. What do you expect.

"Hi there little man. How you doin'?" Autumn says.

"Aut, Aut!" He says clapping. He can't say Autumn yet so he's taken to calling Autumn 'Aut, Aut'. Its adorable. "Goo...!"

"That's great! What have you been up to?"

"We go park!"

"Wow!"

"Ducks!"

"That's awesome!"

"Bye bye Aut, Aut!"

"Bye buddy."

He claps a bit more but gets distracted by the TV again so I bring the phone back over to Arthur. I can hear sniffling on the other end but not as audible as earlier. But I can also hear beeping.

"What's that beeping noise?" Arthur asks as I sit down next to him.

"That's the payphone telling me I'm about to run out of credit," Autumn says. I can hear rustling in the background. "I don't have any more change on me. The rest is in my dorm. Sorry."

"Autumn, its fine!" I say.

"Love you guys," She says.

"We love you too!" Arthur says.

"Bye."

"Bye," I say and with that the line goes dead.

It was around 10:45PM and Arthur and I were getting ready for bed. Mack went to bed ages ago. So we were truly alone. I sit down on the edge of the bed next to him and rest my head on his right shoulder. He automatically wraps his arms around me. I snuggle into him glad for the warmth and comfort.

"What's wrong?" Arthur asks.

"Autumn."

"I assumed as much. I've been worrying about her too. Do you want to talk about it?" He says playing with my hair.

I take a deep breath before replying. "She's struggling, Arthur. More than we expected she would."

"I heard it in her voice when she was talking to Mack and us. I take it she was worse before you came in?"

"Yeah, she was. She misses everyone. Even McQuaid," I say quietly. "I just think training came at such a bad time for her. I mean, we know she's strong but the amount she has went to in the past few years. With Elizabeth and Logan dying, the events at Rockbourne and the struggle she had just to move on from that and then With you losing your job, me getting demoted then reinstated, Annie going dark, losing Teo…"

"Joan, look at me," Arthur says cutting me off from my rant. I look up at him, looking into his gentle blue eyes and he takes my face into his hands.

"Autumn has a lot of you in her. More than she does of me. She is strong. She will get through this. She is also stubborn as hell. She is not going to give up even if it's hurting her to get to the end. Autumn is a Campbell Joan. She may not have our surname but she has our blood. And Campbells do not give up. They are not easily beaten. Please remember that. She has survived six months of training. She only has four left to go. Autumn will pass Joan. She will pass despite the fact the past few years have been hard for her. She is our daughter. She is _your _daughter and that alone is a big enough fact that she'll get through this," Arthur says. I stare at him in amazement at a loss of words. "And when she hits troubled times, we will be here. We might not have been in the past. I might not have been there as much as you but we are her for her. We are here for her now and we are never going to leave and she'll never leave too."

I stare at him in shock. That was probably the most sensitive thing he has ever said to me and that's saying something. And I remember, in that moment, why I love him so much.

I surge forward and kiss him deeply. He returns the kiss in kind and when we finally pull back we are gasping for air.

"Thank you," I whisper.

"For what?"

"For being you."


	26. Chapter 25 A TRUE CAMPBELL

**_Chapter 25:_** A TRUE CAMPBELL

**_Autumn's POV_**

**_4 months later_**

I sit quietly waiting for the plane to take off. I was gripping the straps that were over my shoulders tightly and it was taking all I had to stop myself from shaking. I was terrified. Barbara was beside me and she seemed to be perfectly calm. How on earth could she be perfectly calm!?

"You okay?" She says quietly.

"Oh, I'm grand," I say sarcastically. "I'm just about to throw myself out of a perfectly good, perfectly functioning plane."

"Your first jump, I assume?"

"You assume correctly," I say through gritted teeth.

"You'll be fine. This is my third. The key is to stay calm," She says.

Before I can respond, Gaskin walks onto the plane cockily. He looks overly pleased and completely calm. I wish I was calm.

_Calm down, Autumn_, I think to myself. _You've done worse._

"Right recruits, this is your final exercise. When you land after this dive, you have officially completed your CIA training. Tomorrow you will have your graduation ceremony," Gaskin says. "Remember what I told you about diving. If you follow your training and instincts you'll be fine. You have all been a great group of recruits. See you on the other side. Good luck."

With that Gaskin gets off the plane. Every single one of us, almost in unison, start to buckle urselves into the plane for takeoff. I use the task to calm myself down, eventually stopping my shaking. _You can do this_, I think to myself. _You can do this_.

Fifteen minutes later we are at optimum altitude. I had checked every single piece of my equipment five times. Everything seemed to be in check and the jump was nearing closer. I was sweating and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I make sure my equipment is in perfect condition and check the tightness of my straps and harnessing again. _Stay calm_, I chant in my head.

"First jumper!"

The pilot's voice comes booming from the cockpit and my heart skips slightly. _Here we go_.

I watch Matt as he makes his way to the door. He opens it ease and the sound of wind fills the aircraft. It was almost deafening. I take deep breaths, calming myself. Matt stands at the edge and looks at the top of the frame at the red and green lights. At the minute the light is red signalling a no jump but barely a few seconds later it goes green.

"See you on the other side!" He yells behind him and then jumps.

"Second jumper!"

The same thing happens from then on out. I'm the last jumper and it does nothing to help my nerves. Damian and Lucia had to be encouraged to jump. Luke was straight out. So here I was sitting next to Barbara, silently freaking out.

"I'll see down there, Autumn," She says as she goes up to the door.

I nod and the watch as she jumps when the light turns green.

I'm now alone and my fear is at full throttle. _Stay calm. Stay calm._

"Sixth jumper!"

I get up and quickly make my way over to the door the wind rushing its way around me. I quickly ignore my knowledge about speed, weight and dynamics. About how fast I'll hit the ground with my weight if my parachute fails. But I push those thoughts out.

_Don't think. Just do._

I look at the lights above my head and waiting impatiently for it to go green but at the same time wish it stays red. But it doesn't and I'm left to actually jump. So instead of jumping I just let go of the door frame and fall forward.

I feel the wind hit me almost instantly and I quickly pull my legs together. Adrenaline starts to pump through my veins and my senses come alive. I'm no longer scared. I'm alive. I free fall for about sixty seconds and I look at my altitude meter. Half way down, time to deploy. I reach up with my right hand and grab the main pin to deploy the chute.

I pull.

Nothing happens. The pin doesn't even budge.

I pull again. Nothing.

I pull again twice as hard as the previous two times and still get nothing. I'm free falling still and I can feel the forces hit me harder. The ground is getting closer. I'm 115 pounds at 5 foot 7 inches going at…

_Stop! You still have time! Stay calm!_

I reach up again but this time I grab the emergency pin. I pull but I struggle pulling it at the angle I'm at. I pull harder and this time the chute deploys. I feel the tug of slowing down but I know it's not over I still have to land successfully.

My heart pounds and my breath quickens. _Stay calm. Stay calm!_

I start to feel myself slow down but I know it's not enough to make it an easy landing. The ground was coming closer and I still had to steer myself to a safe landing. I was heading towards asphalt. If I landed on that, broken bones would almost be a certainty.

So I steer to the right heading towards the grass. The ground is still closing in but I'm still slowing down. I can now see the rest of my group. _Come on your nearly there!_

I hit the ground harder than expected and I have to run forward to avoid a face plant into the mud. I over balance and loose my footing and roll unceremoniously across the field. I hear a crack and whimper as pain goes up my side. I also know that I'm going to have some big bruises on my right side as I stop on there and maybe a bruise on my head as I smack it when I finally do stop. I was shaking and pulling in breaths as gasps.

_Crap… Did I really just do that!? Did that really just happen!?_

"Autumn!"

It's Barbara and I can hear heavy footsteps behind me. I roll onto my back and sit up and the same pain goes up my left side as when I fell. I've definitely cracked something.

"Autumn! Are you okay!?" Barbara says kneeling next to me and helping me get the parachute off. I wince as we do so, pain going up my torso.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I had some issues on the way down," I say, my voice coming out stronger than expected. "My main chute didn't deploy. I had to use my emergency but by that point I managed to pull it I had been freefalling for too long. I hit the ground harder than I was supposed to."

Finally the parachute pack come free and Barbara hauls it off me. My breathing had calmed down a bit but I was still shaking.

"Blondie!"

It was Gaskin. I mentally prepare myself for the barrage that was about o come. I hope I don't have to do that again. That's the last thing I need right now.

"Yes sir?" I respond.

"What happened?"

I explain the same story to him as I did to Barbara and watch as he fiddles with my pack. He tries pulling out the main chute but he can't. He looks horrified.

"It's jammed. Did you not check this before take off?"

"I did. And several times on the plane but I couldn't pull it check it. That would have been going too far," I say.

We remain in silence for a few seconds before he responds. Breathing was now starting to hurt and I could feel the adrenaline surge from the jump fading away.

"Well done recruit. You just showed that you can work well under extreme pressures and come out alive in a highly life threatening situation. We did not plan this but well done Autumn. You held up to your word on that very first day of training. You are a true Campbell."

I stare at him in shock. _You are a true Campbell_. "Thank you, sir," I manage to get out.

"Now let's get you to medical. I almost certain you did some damage to yourself with that landing."

Barbara is the first to get up and I grab her to support myself. Pain shots up my torso but I ignored it. I was happy. Training was over. I graduate tomorrow. But the best part was… Tomorrow I got to see Joan, Arthur, Mack, Annie, Auggie and McQuaid. And I couldn't wait.


	27. Chapter 26: HOME

**_Chapter 26:_** HOME

**_Joan's POV_**

I sit silently as Arthur pulls into the parking lot of the Farm. I was excited. Scrap that. I was seeing Autumn for the first time in Nine months. There were no words to describe my excitement. I turn round in the car to face Mack who was looking in wonder out the window.

"Mack, guess who we are going to see?" I smile.

"Aut, Aut!" He claps excitedly.

"That's right buddy!"

I turn back round the smile not leaving my lips. Arthur was looking at me in amusement.

"You do realise we don't get to properly talk to her until after the ceremony?" He says.

"I know we don't but that doesn't stop the excitement," I say. "And you can't say anything! You've been acting like a child on E-numbers for the past few days. You're just as excited as I am."

"Too shay."

With that we get out of the car and Arthur grabs Mack from the back seat. Just as we are about to go in we see Annie's bright red car turn into the lot. Auggie is sitting in the front seat and is bouncing slightly. He's just as big a child as Arthur. Annie parks the car and gets out.

"Joan!" She says, walking around to Auggie's side. She opens the door and he gets out quickly. She points at Auggie before continuing. "Do you know how hyper he's been for the past few days?"

"If he's anything like Arthur, I do," I reply.

"It's not my fault! I'm just excited I have someone to talk about Jazz music with!" He says, taking hold of Annie's elbow. "And you can't say anything Annie! You were dancing round the apartment this morning singing Happy!"

"Really?" I say with a smirk.

"Would you believe me if I said it's a catchy song?"

I chuckle slightly. I can't believe this many people have been this affected by Autumn in the past few years. But in a way I can. She's just one of those people who are like that. Once you meet her, you won't forget her. It's as simple as that. I just believe she would believe that for herself.

We all quickly make our way inside and find seats as close to the front as we can. The first few rows are reserved for recruits so we end up with seats so we end up in row five. Autumn isn't in the hall yet but that's not surprising. She won't come in until the ceremony is about to start. The ceremony is usually quite quick. It consists of a short speech from the head instructor and the presentation of certificates.

About five minutes later McQuaid comes in and sits beside Arthur. We all share quick hellos but are quickly distracted by the recruits walking in. They all look excited and please. Proud. We all start looking for Autumn and find her as the last of the line comes in. She's at the back, probably due to her surname. Her appearance is very different than ten months ago.

She is now muscular but not the kind were it was overbearing. She now has a grace about her. It was always there in the background but has been brought out by the training. Autumn now holds herself with confidence, a confidence that I've only ever seen in her when she's on stage. She looks healthy and I can tell her fitness has improved further. But I can also see hardness in her eyes. Not a brutal force but a strength that the training brought out.

We make eye contact and she smiles a smile that lights up her eyes and shows her teeth. I smile too but I notice a slight discoloration under her right eye. I was going to question that at the next opportunity.

Autumn looks so grown up. Her hair is pulled into a simple braid and her makeup is subtle. She wears a black close fitting pant suit with a white shirt. She walks effortlessly in a pair of black heels which is quite different from ten months ago. Ten months she could barely walk in heels. When she wore them she spent more time on the floor than walking.

I feel tears prick at my eyes and Arthur notices. He nudges me gently to get me to look at him.

"There's tissues in the pocket at the bottom of my suite jacket in the closest to you," He says quietly.

I smile gratefully and take them out. I take one and return them and proceed to delicately dabbing my eyes being careful of my mascara.

"Thank you," I whisper.

"Your welcome."

Just as we finish talking, Gaskin takes the stage. The ceremony had begun.

Forty-five minutes later the ceremony was over. Gaskin's speech was short and the longest part of the whole thing was the rewarding of the certifcates. Now I was looking for Autumn in a sea of bodies. Arthur had Mack. Annie, Auggie and McQuaid told us they would meet us at the refresments table.

"Joan?"

I turn round to the sound of Autumn's voice and smile when I see her. "Autumn!"

She closes the distance and I pull her into a hug. She flinches slightly but other than that she openly returns it. SHe's slightly taller than me in her heels, my head just about making it over her shoulder. My heels are bigger but she has the height advantage. I start to feel her shaking slightly.

"Autumn, what's wrong?" I ask.

"I've missed you so much," She whispers. I can hear the tears in her voice and that sets me off.

I pull back and smile at her. "Now you've set me off again," I laugh.

"I've missed you," She mumbles. "How is everyone?"

"Everyone is good. They are at the refreshments table. But before we go over there, I have one question."

"Sure, what is it?"

"What is the other reason your crying? What's the bruise under your eye about?"

I say it bluntly. Something else was wrong. Autumn had stopped flinching away when I hugged her in her Senior year. That last time she did that was after the events at Rockbourne.

"What do you mean?" She smiles. "There's nothing wrong."

"Autumn I hope to heck you're a better liar than that in the field because that was one of the most pathetic attempts at lying I've ever seen," I say.

"I had an accident during training," She says quietly.

"What sort of accident?"

"My main chute failed during the skydive yesterday. By the time I managed to get my emergency deployed I had free fell for too long. My landing was hardly smooth."

I stare at her in shock. She hasn't even begun her career yet and she's been in life threatening situations in numerous occasions. I struggle to get the words out.

"Are you okay!? Where… where did you get hurt?" I stutter out.

"I broke a rib on the left and bruising the whole way down my right side. I also have a nasty bruise under my right eye. I covered it with makeup. Barbara helped me."

I look at her shock. No wonder she flinched away. If I was her I would be doing more than flinching away.

I pull her into another hug this time being gentler. "Let's go find everyone else."

We pull apart yet again and make our way over to the refreshments table. We find everyone easily and their faces all light up instantly. Auggie must have sensed the change in mood as he lights up too. Mack is the first to react.

"Aut, Aut!" He exclaims, reaching for Autumn.

"Mack!" She says, taking him off Arthur. I shot her a look warning her to be mindful of her ribs and bruising. This doesn't go un-noticed by the rest of the group.

I watch as Autumn carefully positions Mack on her right side avoiding her ribs. He doesn't notice a thing.

"Aut, Aut!" He says.

"How are you buddy!?" She says happily.

"Good," He says, grabbing at her hair. "Missed you!"

"I've missed you too! Have you been a good boy?"

He nods grinning.

"That's my little G-man!" Autumn says. I'm not a fan of her nickname for Mack but it's refreshing to hear it after all these months. "I've got something for you."

Autumn balances him on her hip holding him with one hand. I see her wince slightly as she digs around her left pocket and I look at her with concern but she manages it and pulls out a piece of paper and what looks like some form of candy.

"I got you this," She says handing him the paper. "The page is another drawing. It's of some superheroes. But just not any superheroes. It's me. And Mommy. And Daddy. And you."

I look at the drawing and smile. Autumn had drawn us all as stereotypical superheroes in stereotypical poses but above had written 'The Campbells' in big bold over the top writing. I felt tears prickling my eyes again.

"I also got you some candy corn but I'll give that to Mommy until later, okay?"

Mack nods enthusiastically and nuzzles into Autumn.

"What do you say?" I say in my mothering tone.

"Thank you," He says.

"No problem, buddy," Autumn smiles. "Do you wanna go back to Arthur so I can hug everyone else?"

"Okay."

With that Autumn gives Mack to Arthur. I see her wince slightly and clutch her side. This doesn't go un-noticed and Annie finally caves.

"Are you okay?" She asks.

"Yeah. My main chute failed during the skydive yesterday. By the time I managed to get my emergency deployed I had free fell for too long. My landing wasn't exactly pleasant," Autumn responds. She has a look in her eye that says, what's the point in lying? "I broke a rib on the left and bruising the whole way down my right side. I also have a nasty bruise under my right eye."

Everyone looks at her in shock but Annie is the first one to respond.

"See Auggie, I'm not the only one who has issues with skydiving!"

Autumn chuckles slightly at that but then stops and lets out a small ow.

"Please don't make me laugh," She smirks.

Annie smirks in response.

"So I was going to give you a bear hug but I guess this will have to do," McQuaid says walking over to Autumn and hugging her gently. "It's good to see you kid."

"Good to see you to McQuaid," She smiles.

"I got you something. For graduating," He says taking a black clothing item out of his suit jacket.

"You didn't have to McQuaid," Autumn says, but the curiosity isn't hidden from her voice.

"It's not much. Just a t-shirt."

He unfolds it and I laugh at the words on it. 'DANGEROUSLY OVEREDUCATED'

"Funny," Autumn chuckling.

McQuaid and Autumn had the sort of relationship were they got on like siblings or partners in crime. They were constantly pranking each other and it was not fun when you got in the crosshairs. They were siblings without the arguing.

"I also got you something else," He says.

He reaches behind him and pulls out a black object. A gun to be precise.

"I thought you might find this useful. I had a few adjustments made though," He says. He was trying not to smirk. He was up to something.

"What kind of adjustments?"

"Nothing much. Just this."

Suddenly McQuaid pointed it at Autumn and pulled the trigger. Instead of a bullet, water came squirting out. It hit Autumn square in the stomach leaving a large wet patch.

"McQuaid, you're going to regret that," She grumbles with a smirk.

"Keep telling yourself that."

"What did he do?" Auggie smiles confused as Annie was trying not to wet herself beside him. Mack was clapping and Arthur was also in stitches.

"He just shot me with a water gun," Autumn replies.

Auggie chuckles and raises his right hand. "Give it to me up top McQuaid!"

McQuaid gives Auggie a high five as Annie turns to Autumn and hands her some napkins. Autumn takes them thankfully and wipes her shirt down.

"We also got you somethin'," Auggie says as soon as he stops laughing.

"If it's another water gun attack, I'm not interested," Autumn smirks.

"Nothing like that," Annie says, pulling something out of her pocket. "It's just a little something. We know you're not keen on jewellery but we found this and thought of you."

I watch as Autumn opens the box and when she sees the item her face lights up.

"Annie, it's beautiful," She says taking it out of the box delicately. I can see tears starting to come to her eyes again.

I look at the small bracelet. It has a dark blue suede wrap for the main catch and then a curved metal rectangle attached to it. On the metal is the words, '_one day closer..._'. Like Autumn said, it was beautiful.

"Let me help," Annie says, taking the bracelet. Autumn holds up her right wrist and Annie carefully ties it on. "It's supposed to be for military wives for when their significant other is deployed but when I saw it I thought it could be taken as a different meaning. Everyday you're at the CIA you'll be one day closer to catching Seyal. I thought you needed something to remind you of that."

"Annie, I don't know what to say…" Autumn mumbles.

"It's also made of Aluminium so it's hypoallergenic. I know you can't wear certain metals as you're allergic so we were careful of that," Annie continues as she finishes tying the bracelet to Autumn's wrist.

As soon as Annie is finished, Autumn pulls her into a hug. "Thank you," She mumbles.

"No problem," Annie says pulling back.

Auggie is listening to the whole exchange with a smirk on his face. He's up to something. I know this because it's the same look McQuaid had before he soaked Autumn. Autumn must have noticed this because she gives him a curious look.

"Auggie, what are you up to?" She questions.

"I also picked out something because Annie refused to let me get it when I found it on the internet. Like McQuaid it's not serious," Auggie smirks.

"Okay…"

"Auggie! I told you to get her something serious!" Annie laughs.

Auggie pulls out a dark grey clothing item and hands it to Autumn. She unfolds it and bursts out laughing. We all do. On the t-shirt is written 'MY JOB IS TOP SECRET. EVEN I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING'.

"Oh my gosh, Auggie! Where did you find this?" Autumn says still laughing. She clutches her side but makes no attempt to stop laughing.

"Some guy off Ebay," He smiles.

"Thank you," She says giving him a hug.

"No problem, sparky," He says. I smirk at his nickname. He's called her it ever since she first asked for help with Computer Science.

Arthur walks over and gives Autumn as one armed hug and kisses her hair.

"Time to go home yet kiddo?" Arthur says.

"Time to go home."

I watch as Autumn grabs her duffel bag from her room. I have her rucksack and stand silently as she does one last check. She looks up when a young woman with dark brown hair and green eyes walks in. She looks to be in her early twenties and is slightly smaller than Autumn. She's dressed similarly.

"Barbara!" Autumn smiles "I'm glad I caught you before you left."

"Me too!" Barbara replies. Then gestures to me. "Who's this?"

"This is Joan Campbell. My mum," Autumn replies. "Joan this Barbara Miller. We shared a room together and were partners in the majority of the training exercises here."

"Nice to meet you Barbara," I say politely, offering my hand.

"Nice to meet you too Mrs Campbell," She says shaking my hand. She then turns to Autumn. "Right Blondie, I need you to promise me something!"

"Yeah, sure. What is it?"

"YOu stay in contact with me no matter what. In between the missions I know you'll be on keep in contact."

"As long as you promise to do the same," Autumn responds.

"Of course," Barbara says handing Autumn a piece of paper. "That's my number. Text me when you get home, okay?"

"Yeah. Of course."

"Come here," Barbara says. With that she pulls Autumn into a hug. "Look after yourself. You hear me? Keep yourself safe!"

"Likewise Barbara."

When they pull back Autumn has tears rolling down her checks. She picks up the duffel bag she had dropped when they hugged.

"Bye Barbara."

"Goodbye Autumn."

And with that Autumn and I head for the car. It was time to go home. Finally, it was time to go home.


	28. Chapter 27: AUTUMN CAMPBELL

**_Chapter 27_**: AUTUMN CAMPBELL

**_Autumn's POV _**

I wake up slowly to the sound of movement downstairs. I was at home in my own bed after the best night sleep I had had in months. I glance to the right and look at the alarm clock. It was 9:15. That's the latest I've had a lie-in in months. One that wasn't caused by extreme exhaustion.

Joan hasn't got much planned for today. We're going out around 11:00 to look at apartments so I can move out. She doesn't want me to but I want to get some independence. I'm nineteen next month and I now also have a job. I want to be seen as independent. People might already think I got into the DPD due to nepotism and not on my skill level or qualifications. The last thing I need is that to be added to because I still live with Joan and Arthur. However, there is one thing I want to talk to them about. My last name.

I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and wince slightly as pain goes up my torso but I ignore it and make my way over to the wardrobe. I pull out a pair of black jeans and one of my Yale t-shirts. I then get some stuff ready for a shower.

Thirty minutes later I head downstairs, my hair still slightly damp. I walk into the kitchen to find Arthur reading the paper drinking coffee and Joan trying to keep Mack's mess from eating to a minimum.

"Morning," Joan says with a smile. "There is fresh coffee in the pot."

"Thank you," I reply walking over to the pot. "How long have you guys been awake for?"

"Since about 8:45. We didn't want to wake you. You looked so peaceful and from the looks of yesterday you needed the sleep," Joan smiles.

I smile back and pour myself a cup of black coffee. I sit down opposite Arthur and take a sip. I feel Joan watching me, examining me even. I know I had changed a bit physically over the past ten months. I mean I was no longer a scrawny kid. I had muscle tone and better posture but aside from that I wasn't all that different. I try to ignore the examination and finally get the courage to ask them about my surname.

"So…" I say, setting the mug down. "I've been thinking…"

"Thinking about what?" Joan asks with a smile as she brings Mack's plate to the sink.

"About my surname," I say keeping my eyes on the coffee in front of me.

Joan nearly stops in her tracks but carries on with cleaning Mack's plate. Arthur stops reading his paper and sets it down so he can look at me. Good, I've got their attention.

"What about your surname?" Arthur pushes even though he knows where I'm going with this.

"I want to change it to Campbell."

That definitely got their attention as Joan completely stops and Arthur gives me more attention. Even Mack gives me his attention.

"Where did this come from?" Joan asks quietly.

"I don't really know. It's been in my mind for quite a while now," I say.

"And why do you feel this way?" Arthur asks. They weren't asking me these questions in an interrogating fashion. They were asking me them to make sure I was certain. And I was.

"I feel more like a Campbell than a Woods," I explain. "I am your daughter and it feels like I'm still hiding that from people. Which I think is somewhat stupid. People in the CIA already know who I am. I mean Gaskin was able to tell just by looking at me. And don't want to hide that from people. I am proud of who I am. I have nothing against Elizabeth and Logan. They raised me for fifteen years but I don't feel I deserve to be a Woods if I don't even have their DNA coursing through my veins. I have your blood, your DNA, in my veins and after what Gaskin told me after the parachuting… I'm starting to believe it."

"What did Gaskin say?" Arthur says before Joan could respond. She looked like she was going to cry. To be honest I felt that way too.

"He said, _Well done recruit. You just showed that you can work well under extreme pressures and come out alive in a highly life threatening situation. We did not plan this but well done Autumn. You held up to your word on that very first day of training. You are a true Campbell."_

I quote it word for word and I can feel Arthur looking at me in shock. Joan actually starts crying.

"I didn't realise you felt you were hiding who you were Autumn," Joan says quietly, fighting back the tears that were already falling. "I'm sorry."

And with that she got and gave me a hug. She was gentle which I was glad about. I return the hug and tell her quietly, "Please, don't cry."

"Yes, you can change your surname," She says. "Of course you can change your name. We can go to city hall before we go apartment viewing."

And with that she pulled back from the hug letting my new name settle.

_Autumn Ava Campbell._

It did have a ring to it.

I pull up outside the last apartment building. This was our sixth viewing and the five before it had been awful. The first had damp. The second and third were at extortionist prices. The fourth was in the back end of nowhere. And don't even get me started on the fifth...

But I was happy. I was now officially Autumn Ava Campbell and it wasn't that painful a process.

I get out of my car and am closely followed by Joan. I drive a 2012 Aqua Toyota Prius which Joan helped me buy shortly after I passed my driver's test. I'm still paying her back as I was using money I had earned from a part time job I had had in Yale but I was happy with my car. It was very me.

"Is this the last viewing?" I ask as I met Joan at the pavement. It was a nice area quite close to the main road and not too far away from the CIA headquarters.

"Yeah. Apartment number 82 in this block. The real estate agent said she would meet us here," Joan says with a smile. I feel her studying me again. She had done quite a fair bit while we were in the car, her eyes taking in every detail, my black leather jacket, Yale t-shirt, black skinny jeans and boots, the slight discolouration under my right eye and even my posture. I think the parachute incident shook her more than it did me. And it shook me a lot. I would have to talk to her later.

We make it up to Apartment 82 and find the retailer standing outside the door.

"Mrs Campbell! Miss Campbell!" She greets with a smile.

"Ms. Clarke," Joan smiles.

"So glad you had the time to make it to this one. I'm almost certain this one will be perfect for Miss Campbell," She says, pulling out the keys. "It's a studio apartment but it is such a nice space for the size of it. It's also in your price range."

She pushes open the door and walks in. Joan and I follow suit and I have to say from what I saw I was impressed with the space. The space was small but not cramped. The furniture was placed well; the sofa was in front of an area that could be used for a TV. Behind it was space enough to walk and shelving right up to the ceiling. A kitchen area was in the far back left corner with enough room for one to navigate well. It had a breakfast bar and basic cooking utilities (cooker, kettle, microwave, fridge/freezer and so on). Pushed into the right corner beside a door was a washer all under a flight of stairs leading up to a small loft area. A large window with a nice view of the area was over the breakfast bar, lighting up the room nicely. The colour scheme was a series of whites and purples and the bookshelves a dark brown. It was beautiful.

"Where is the bedroom?" Joan asks.

"Just up those stairs. It's not a proper upstairs area more of just a sleeping area. There's room up there to store clothes also," The retailer says.

"And bathroom?"

"Just through that door."

Joan nods and I can see her start to take in all the details of the apartment.

"I'll leave you two to have a look around by yourselves," Ms. Clarke smiles. "I'll be just outside if you have any questions or when you're finished."

"Thank you," I nod as she leaves.

As soon as she's out the door Joan turns to me. "Autumn I think this place is perfect. Its a bit on the small side but it's the perfect size you. I know you like living in simple settings," Joan says, with a smile. "What do you think?"

"I have to say, I am definitely impressed with it. But, I'd like to see the bedroom and bathroom first and double check there's nothing wrong with it like mould or damp," I smile. Secretly I was already sold but I wanted to cover my bases.

"Of course," Joan smiles.

I walk up the stairs to where the retailer said the bedrooms and I'm instantly impressed. The space was small but it was comfortable. A double bed with what looks to be a storage area underneath was pushed into the far right corner into an almost alcove like area. Directly in front of me was a wardrobe and beside that sandwiched between the bed and the wardrobe a chest of drawers. A window was above the bed to the far right with enough space to sit. It flooded the space with light. The colour scheme was the same as down stairs with one wall purple and the rest white. It was beautiful.

I walk quickly over to the chest of drawers and pull them to find no mould. I consequently do the same with the bed and the wardrobe with only slight difficultly due to my ribs and get the same results. No mould or damp. The apartment was getting more perfect by the second.

I head back down to find Joan doing was I did upstairs.

"Find anything?" I say, leaning on the edge of the sofa a bit out of breath. Stupid ribs.

"No. No mould. No damp. Nothing. Haven't checked the bathroom yet though," She says turning around. As soon as she sees me leaning on the sofa she gives me a concerned look. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just sore," I smile, straightening up a bit. "I'm fine."

"Okay but I'll get you something to ease it when we get back okay?"

I nod and give her a smile. "Do you want to check out the bathroom?"

"Sure," Joan smiles.

We walk to the bathroom and enter. It's small. Really small. But to be honest it's not that much smaller than the on suite at Joan and Arthur's. It was basic with a sink, shower and toilet but that's all I really needed. Joan stands just outside the doorway to let me check and I leave as soon as I do.

"Nothing," I say, with a smile.

Joan nods and then looks at me with a serious expression. "So what do you think?"

"I really like it," I say quietly with a smile. "I don't know what it is about the place but I think it's perfect. Joan, I think this is the place."

"Are you sure?" Joan says. "You don't have to move out straight away. I don't want you to feel as if your rushing into this."

"I don't. I'm ready Joan and I really do think this is the place."

"Okay," Joan smiles but she has a sad look in her eyes. "Let's go and tell the retailer and fill out the papers."

I smile and nod. My new life was beginning. I had a new name and now a new home. I was getting ready. Maybe I was going to get Seyal. Maybe things were going to work out.


End file.
